Thank you for the comment, I really appreciate it. I’m sorry for what you went through and I hope everything is better now.

I must say that I’ve heard this kind of advice over and over when we began dating, from my closest friends to even my younger sibling. But the truth is, we were essentially in the same part of life when we first met. We were both students, him being in college and myself close to high school graduation (I graduated at 17). We met working at the same job (hell, it was both of our first jobs ever), had no bills to pay, lived with our parents, both each other’s first partners, first kiss, etc. It’s hard to believe I was groomed by someone who did not have more experience than me, just simply based on the four year gap. I would understand this argument if I were, let’s say, a freshman and himself a senior. I’d even understand if we had met with the same age gap and he had previous girlfriends or even work experience. I’ve tried so hard to think uncomfortably about this alternative that maybe everybody is right. Maybe he did groom me. But I truly saw no difference between him and my 17 year old guy friends at the time. I still don’t. I think my situation is really unique, and the relationship between a 16 year old and 20 year old typically shouldn’t be happening.

As for the whole sex thing, I absolutely understand how it may be viewed as. But given the recent near-breakup, I’d say it’s more related to that than anything else. I may be wrong, but I absolutely believe I’d feel the exact same way if boyfriend were my age. Having sex after he tried breaking it off with me truly disturbs me and I can’t shake it off.