Literally the worst foundation for a relationship possible.
She’d known him for decades, and there was never any attraction. They had nothing substantial in common. But, one day, when they found that they were old, suddenly, he decided that she was it for him, and he wormed his way into her personal life by feigning concern over her recent loss and a long-time problem she’d been having. He, quite literally, used the knowledge against her. And the only reason she even entertained the idea of being with him was because they had all the same friends, friends who, though they told themselves they were well-meaning, had pushed and cheered her into nothing but bad times. It wasn’t a matter of caring about her. They all felt they did, but they also felt sorry for her and thought they should be the ones to decide her life’s path. They always chose the wrong road, and they had again.
How this situation was supposed to translate into magic attraction out of nowhere was not in the realm of possibility. She was out of his league and choosing men who were beneath her had always been her problem. This man was nothing to look at, boring to a fault with the air of a used car salesman, and possessed an obsession with cultures she had no interest in. He’d even relocated to an abysmal area of the country to pursue his cultural fascination, and he would, no doubt expect her to move there, where he could isolate her from friends and family.
He’d already shown her his character by refusing to respect her enough not to move in on her when she was grieving and emotionally insecure. A real many, a good man, would have waited, not even moved to plant a seed. He was crossing all boundaries, pushing at warp speed, and essentially creeping on her, but, since she knew him, or thought she did, she excused it out of hand and let her supposed friends dictate to her again. They’d already cost her sincere love once … and recently. The whole thing was a sham, pure and simple, as make believe as it was possible for adults to make believe. And she should have already known better than to date within her circle again. The men in it were nearly all the same. They were two people who’d decided they would use each other for the sake of using each other, and she was going to get the short end of the stick … again. She knew she did not love this man, could not love him, but her fealty to people who, essentially, just wanted her to do like them overrode her common sense …. again. And, if she went through with it, she would not get anymore chances at anything real.
She has listened to her friends and destroyed someone who loved her, gambling that she would find someone else of whom they approved. She rolled craps.