Dating : Im falling in love and i don’t know what to do. Please Help!!!!

Dating : Im falling in love and i don’t know what to do. Please Help!!!!

I don’t even know how to start this because of all the wild feelings i’m having. But here goes:

Recently, i started hanging out and developing a friendship with some of my coworkers. We get along so well, it’s almost unreal. Even before I started this friendship with them, there was this one guy who i had a little work crush on from the very beginning. I thought he was cute, and that was all.

But recently, i’ve been able to get closer to this guy.. We’ve talked and talked and i’ve gotten to learn his personality, liked and dislikes, what he wants to do in the future etc. Describing him as “the perfect guy” would be an understatement. I honestly think i’m falling in love with him.

Everything about him is something i look for in a guy. He has such a good character and such a good heart, but he still isn’t afraid to break the rules and be a little rebellious. He’s the kind of guy that respects his parents, and doesn’t go for the generic anything. He tells me how much he loves taking his friends and girls out to such abnormal date places like dancing, or stargazing or horseback riding, and how much he hates generic movie dates. He cares for me and respects me. He understands how soft spoken i am, and he speaks up for me when he sees i’m in an uncomfortable situation. He’s told me all
about his future, and the type of life he wants.

He’s just so different from any guy i’ve ever met. Everything about him is perfect to me, and if my circumstances were different, i would be already pursuing him, not writing this and asking for advice.

But unfortunately, my life does put me in a position where i have to make hard decisions and potentially hear things that i really don’t want to. There’s two things that stop me from actively initiating a relationship with him. One, the fact that we work together. And two, our age difference.

We were coworkers before we were friends. We both work the same summer job. And it’s a pretty well known fact that being in a relationship with people you work with, is never a good idea for multiple reasons. However, the fact that our time together as coworkers will end in just a few months, still gives me hope.

But more importantly, my age is an enormous factor in this, and i truly hope you understand my point of view and feelings before bashing and instantly ridiculing me.

I’m still a high school student and only 16 years old. i was brought up in a family situation that forced me to
grow up and mature prematurely. because of this, i generally get along better with people that are older than me, and for the most part, it’s difficult for me to get along with people my age because of their general maturity level. i cant even count the number of times i’ve watched friends and coworkers try to guess my age and the watch their jaws drop when i tell them the correct answer.

My coworker, who im falling in love with, is 19. That’s a ginormous 3 year difference in the eyes of legal law and society’s standards. I don’t know what to do. i really truly dont. i’ve never felt so passionate about someone in my entire life and the fact that this might be the only thing holding me back makes me so upset it’s unreal. im looking at it with the perspective that in retrospect, 3 years difference between a couple is nothing. In fact, even my parents have a greater age gap.

Im not the kind of person that easily gives out my feelings either. There’s many factors, but one was my parents’ horrible relationship. it made me aware of the fact that i simply cannot hand out my trust and love to every person i find an interest in. So the fact that this guy is making me feel things i’ve never felt before and for once, i don’t feel afraid to fall in love, it almost physically hurts that my age is holding me back.

i really really don’t know what to do. and im hoping you as a reader, can share your opinion and thoughts and possibly give me some advice on what i should do in this situation. This is something i’ve never felt so
strongly about in my entire life and i genuinely need all the help i can get. i tend to look at things from a one point perspective, so getting the pov of someone else would really help. so i encourage you to please voice your opinion and give me all the help you can offer. I appreciate it so much and please let me know if there’s any details or questions you feel would be important to know.

(I am copying and pasting this to multiple communities in hopes of getting the most people to see it and potentially help!)