Rejecting Someone...

Yes It can hurt if you get too attached to someone, Turning down someone i say is a bit easier as apposed to actually being rejected. I can see it hurting to turn someone down if you really care about them as a friend and etc.

I don't really think of it as scary for the rejecting party. Perhaps more so an empathetic sorrow, that is if you have experienced painful rejection yourself.

yeah it sucks for both people involved. It can really leave a person feeling guilty and shitty for hurting someone else. Not to mention a lot of people end up regretting it too. Rejection just sucks period.

It is more difficult when it is a close friend, naturally you want them to be happy and do not want to hurt their feelings. It is a bitter pill but it has to be given/taken sometimes. It is not being a good friend to let them think there is something there that is not or feel obligated to humor them. It is also good if they accept it and respect your feelings, even if it will suck for a bit. They are then free to pursue other interests knowing a final answer. If you spoke your true feelings then you did the right thing. Give them a bit of time to center themselves. I see in anime sometimes where someone loves someone and won't try to settle their feelings then become crushed or mean when that person falls in love with someone else. "I am happy I can just be close to them..." is the signature of this potentially unhealthy endeavor.

rejection does suck especially when it's a friend involved. Hopefully, it won't feel awkward when you two are together from now on and hopefully you guys can be still good friends. Although i'm sure he's happy that you're still in his life rather than not being there at all.

oh wow yeah that's a serious step. Im surprised though that he proposed that situation to you even if you guys are just friends. it's definitely understandable why it made you feel uncomfortable especially with a request like that out of the blue and all of a sudden.

Yikes. That stinks. I never thought about how it feels for the rejecting party; I'm usually rejected xD. But, yeah, I guess it stinks for you as well, especially since you probably have some damage control on your hands .