I've had a crush on a man at work for years. I used to see him every day and it was torture. I moved department so still run into him occasionally but it's nowhere near as hard - I go much longer now without thinking of him. I even tried to cut ties completely by removing him from social media. He asked me about this when I ran into him and asked if he'd done anything wrong. I was a big wimp and said 'oops my mistake' and re-added him.
Today our paths crossed but I was in a group and had to go to a meeting. He smiled at me and called me the nickname he used to call me and said he'd come and see me soon. I absolutely melted.
I'm in a happy long term relationship and have a small child - this crush is nearly 2 decades older than I am and here I am agonizing over whether he likes me because he called me pretty that one time. What is wrong with me? Why can't I shake the feelings off? Rationally I know we would never work but I struggle to let go of wondering what could have been. My confidence is quite low so maybe it's a case of wanting to be wanted by someone different. Will it ever go away? It's been nearly 5 years and while the intensity comes and goes, it's scary to think that I may live with it for even longer.