I was recently swapping ideas with another writer. The question came up, “Have you ever said, ‘Don’t fall in love with me.’” I thought it would be more common for a woman to say than a man. My friend didn’t agree. She said that it was more likely that a woman would put distance between her and the man she thought was falling in love with her. “Putting him down gently,” was what she said. She didn’t think most women would directly confront the issue. Our discussion went on to other topics, but I wasn’t satisfied with her answer.
She argued that a woman would be more likely to see a man falling in love than the other way around. She said it was simply women are more attuned to “subtle signals.” I couldn’t think of a good counterargument at the time. I wonder what my readers think. Do you think women are more likely to see a male friend falling in love with them? The other question is, how would a woman handle the situation?
