Is this a bad idea? (to see this person again)

[SpiralOut]

I am trying to be more careful about who I befriend this year. I sometimes pick friends who aren't good for me.

 

There is someone I met through a meetup group a few weeks ago. I enjoyed myself for the most part and I gave him my email when we parted.

 

I hesitate to see him again (he has invited me out) because he can be a little too friendly. I have been working on my boundaries for over a year now. I think they are better but I still feel stressed out whenever I need to enforce them. Basically this person is someone who knows that he can be too friendly. By too friendly I just mean giving me way too much unsolicited advice, and being a little too eager about wanting to meet up again. He seems to realize when he has gone too far because he'll suddenly step down from what he said, and tell me I don't have to take his advice if I don't want to. Then he actually asked me if he had done anything to offend me or make me feel uncomfortable. If I do something to enforce a boundary, he respects it.

 

So I guess the thing is that I like this person's company EXCEPT for the fact that I need to constantly enforce my boundaries. He has invited me to meet up a few times and I declined the past few times, just because what he asked me to do didn't feel casual enough. However he just invited me to lunch, which seems like a normal casual thing to do. So I might say yes. But I am still nervous. Is this the type of friendship/relationship that will be good for me, or will this just stress me out?

 

Basically I feel guilty at the idea of saying no because I've been in his position before.

[Eternal Sunshine]

It seems like he wants more than friendship.

[SpiralOut]

Umm okay well that's what I thought might be happening. I'm not interested like that, though. But we both go to the same meetup group every now and then. I guess I should just continue to say no so as not to lead him on....