The Guru

“Dear Guru - There is this guy who really likes me. He’s a great guy, but I don’t feel anything for him besides friendship. I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but I just can’t make myself like him. What should I do?”

Going to school at Elon, or any other university where the sex ratio is unfairly proportioned for females, can make it extremely difficult to pass up on any interested guy. But just because he likes you doesn’t automatically mean you have to like him.

It's as simple as a mouse. A computer mouse, that is.

What you need is a double click.

Now, you are probably sitting there thinking that I have completely lost my mind. Either that, or I have gained some obscene interest in computers. But fear not, this is a valid theory.

Think about when you are trying to open up a file on your computer. You can click that stupid little icon a million times, but if your click isn’t a double click, then your singular attempts could last for hours. The same goes for relationships. Unless it is a double click, a relationship just won’t open.

A lot of times women (and men) feel a certain need to settle for whatever is lying around. In those cases, it is more of a fear of being alone than a true sense of fondness that creates a relationship.

Please don’t fall into the habit of becoming one of those girls who just always has to have a boyfriend. You know the kind of girl I am talking about. She seems to acquire a brand-new man every month.

But if you really think about it, she is always getting a new boyfriend because she probably never liked the first one.

For her, and for many other girls out there, it seems easier to settle for a man and gain the title of “girlfriend” than to face being single. Of course, after a month she is so annoyed with the poor man she has to let him go and find another.

Right, because the next one is going to work out so much better.

A dear friend of mine was once in a very similar situation with a certain golfer. But rather than tell the guy her true feelings, she attempted to make the best of it.

Well, the “best of it” ended with her getting annoyed with his “clinginess” and telling the poor boy to shove his putter up his ... Well, let’s just say it wasn’t his golf bag.

Not only is it unfair for you to settle, it’s also hurting the other person involved. To get yourself into a situation — or even to prolong the inevitable — is unfair to that person; for if he likes you now, he will probably like you even more later on.

It may be scary to let him go and wait for someone else to come along. But you know the saying; Good things come to those who wait.

Tell him the truth. Explain that while he is a great guy, he just isn’t the guy for you. He will eventually understand, and in the long run he will probably thank you.

And let me tell you, there is nothing better than a double click after a long series of attempts.

Trust me on this one.