Given how intense your attraction is for this person, the thought of staying friends or not instigates a monumental conundrum.

On the one hand, you like him romantically and struggle with the idea of only being a friend.

On the other hand, you are so devastated by the fact you were rejected by him and want to run away and hide in a cave forever.

Whether you should stay friends with someone who rejected you is a question that plenty of people eventually encounter in their personal lives.

Yes, you aren’t the only one who has been rejected by someone in your friend circle.

Many before you have.

First and foremost, pat yourself on the back for having the courage to express your feelings to your friend.

This isn’t easy.

There are so many fears people encounter when it comes to whether they should tell a friend that they are into them romantically.

Surely, you also faced similarly tough questions when you were considering telling your friend about your feelings.

By the end of it, you decided to tell him.

Even though he ended up rejecting you, what you did was brave and appropriate.

You no longer have to keep wondering about whether he likes you romantically.

Gone are the days where you kept giving yourself false hope whenever he gave you a compliment or what seemed like a flirt.

Instead of obsessing over every cryptic message he posts on his social media that has anything to do with love and relationships, you are now freed from all of that.

Essentially, by telling him that you like him and getting your answer, it has relieved you from all of the constant questions and assumptions you were making about him.

Yes, the sting of being rejected is hard.

It took a lot for you to finally conjure the courage to tell him that you like him.

To be on the receiving end of a rejection after all that seems unfair.

Nonetheless, you did the right thing.

The question about the potential of a romantic relationship with him has been answered.

You don’t have to decide on whether you want to stay friends right now.

Given that you are very much in the throes of the emotions of passion and disappointment at the moment, it’s best you go away for some time.

Take some time out of the friendship to recalibrate yourself.

This is where you allow yourself some time to figure out whether you are capable of spending time without thinking about him.

As long as he is constantly in your thoughts, your feelings for him are still a factor.

This means that if you stay as friends without taking some time away, you will continue hoping that he changes his mind about you and tells you he wants to be with you.

As you desperately wait for this, you will continue overthinking everything he says and does that has any remote connection to love and relationships, hoping he is getting closer to changing his mind about you and is on the cusp of pursuing you romantically.

All of this time and desperation only makes it that much harder for you to get over the rejection and the disappointment in learning he doesn’t like you in the same way you do him.

Rather than taking this hopeless route, choose to take some time away to let your emotions temper.

Should you reach a point where you realize you haven’t thought about him in a while, as you have been living your life to the fullest with your friends and hobbies, this would be the right time for you to decide on whether you can stay friends with him.

Basically, you have to be at a place emotionally where you are no longer into him nor hopeful he changes his mind about you.

Only when there is absolutely no indication that these emotions exist within you are you at a place where choosing to stay friends with him is appropriate.

That said, after taking this time out, if you realize the feelings persist, you are better off not staying friends with him.