This often happens to me. I make friends with a guy. We talk. After some time the guy confesses feelings or wants to be closer to me in that way. I say I'm not comfortable. They get hurt. They leave for a bit. They come back and apologize. I say it's not a problem. But things are continuously awkward. So we end up not talking much if ever. Then a couple months later, I'll get some angry email or confession that I am a terrible friend because I've ignored them. And that I don't really care. To which the behavior is so off-putting that I start to even dread seeing this person's name in my inbox or online because I know they are disappointed in me for not following through and being a "good friend."

Any thoughts or suggestions on how to deal with this?

I really do not wish to be in a relationship. And somehow once I associate certain people as being interested in me, I completely shut them off so that they don't become further interested.

What hurts most is they tell me how awful I am for not being a friend to them.