>>59355466The correct answer is in the middle. Anon shouldn’t have come on so strong right away. He should have asked to hang out outside of work. Ice skating rink, sports game, something casual. Go on a few friend dates, maybe visit her place or she visits his for drinks, THEN say “Hey, I really like being around you I want something more”.
It was too early to drop the love bomb. He was still just a work friend. If she didn’t want to hang out outside of work, anon would have gotten to save face completely and do with that what he will. If she said no after the friend dates, she would have a stronger sense of what she’s losing and it would heavily increase her chances of crawling back when she sorts out her feelings. Also, there’s a difference between being a beta orbiter and being polite.
Not the worst way to handle it, gonna give it a 6.5/10 for sticking to your guns, but unoptimal strats.