Workplace romance could spell trouble

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This article was published 21/02/2019 (2450 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I’m having romantic dreams every night about a guy at work. In my waking life, I’m very professional with him, but when I’m sleeping, my thoughts fly to hot fantasies. I don’t know him very well, but he’s everything I want in a man — tall, slim, strong, intelligent, witty and kind. We work in a medical profession and the environment tends to reveal character.

In these dreams, I’m in an emergency situation and he is always rescuing me and then kissing me tenderly, and we end up doing more than I can say in a family newspaper. What does this mean?

— Burning For Him, Downtown

Dear Burning: Plainly speaking, you long for him to rescue you from your unmet desires by making a real move. Will your job be in jeopardy if you let him know you’re interested in him as man, and not merely as a co-worker?

Usually, workplace romances don’t work unless both people are smitten from the start. You don’t mention if he’s involved, married, flirting, just friendly or aloof. Do you work with him directly or watch him from afar?

The further the distance between you at work, the better. If he’s working alongside you, it would be a painful mess if it didn’t work out. But this is real life, not a TV show, and sometimes the feeling is so strong you have to drop hints to determine if the feelings are reciprocated.

If he lets you know he isn’t interested and distances himself, you’ll need to take action. The best cure for unrequited love/lust at work is to pretend you have a new romantic interest, which lets your uninterested workmate feel he’s off the hook.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: My friends and I played strip poker with some girls we know, but the girls cheated and wore a whole bunch of extra clothes. We got down to our boxers or, in one guy’s case, his socks.

It bugs us that the girls cheated and we saw nothing as they peeled off sweaters, shirts, T-shirts and two pairs of socks each.

We have challenged them to a new strip poker game where they don’t cheat! They said no and laughed at us. I think we deserve one. What do you think?

— Cheated By the Girls, Winnipeg

Dear Cheated: First of all, I think you all sound pretty young. At least the girls were smart about it. They wanted the fun of the game, but had no desire to be sitting in front of you in their underwear. Of course they’re not going to agree to a rematch!

So they cheated. Big deal! Your clear motives were to get them down to bra and panties, or less, so you’re not so honourable yourselves.

Miss Lonelyhearts
Advice Columnist

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