Hi everyone,

I welcome & would appreciate advice from both men & women about this.
I'll probably post this on the Women's board, but wanted to get male perspectives, too.

Other women seem to automatically know how to handle this, but, b/c I've led a very isolated life due to my "issues", I am clueless.
Here's my problem: Most of the times when I associate with a guy (whether he be a coworker, someone whom I rarely see, or sometimes even a stranger), it's obvious that they think I'm interested in them. I've had a few men to whom I had no attraction actually tell me they thought I had a crush on them. One of them was the husband of an acquaintance, which was insulting, b/c I'd never try to steal someone else's spouse. In fact, I'm usually nicer to men who are married b/c they are taken & not a threat, or guys whom I'd never consider b/c I don't want to hurt their feelings by being rude & ignoring them. I can't even imagine myself "with" anyone right now, b/c I'm going thru so much. Why is it that if I compliment a guy's shirt, for example, he can't just take it at face value ( I just like your shirt) & not misinterpret it as a much bigger compliment (I want to go to bed with you)? In other words, why does talking to a guy & being nice to him mean anything more than polite chitchat? Apparently, I'm being too nice, but I don't want to be a *****, either.

Thanks in advance for your replies!