Hi Aggie,
This nice new guy on set that you have fallen for is most likely just being nice to you.
The 10 year age difference may not necessarily be a problem if the both of you just don’t care about that.
However, if he has a child and is also in a relationship, that does create a totally different dynamic from what you are used to.
Yes, this may be too much to get involved with.
All of that notwithstanding, there’s a good chance that he has been acting nice towards you simply because he is trying to make a work friend.
He has come to your table, apparently with the person that he is in a romantic relationship with.
If he was actually interested in you romantically, he would not do that.
He would want to talk to you on more of a one on one basis.
Even though he tends to talk to you and nobody else as far as when you are with other people, it is most likely simply because he feels more comfortable talking to you than most people.
Again, he may be looking for a work friend.
People do this all the time at work.
They may not necessarily like most of the people that they work with.
As a result, they try to find a handful of people that they feel that they can get along with and try to befriend them.
It seems as though you are a person that he was trying to befriend so as to have a good work buddy.
Even though he stuck his tongue out at you that one time and you felt lost in his eyes when you first saw him, there is really nothing there to indicate that he was liking you in the same way or that he stuck his tongue out at you because he was flirting with you.
He may have simply stuck his tongue out at you because he was being playful.
Being playful with someone that he felt could become a work buddy.
His intention to make you his work buddy may be why he suggested working together in his department.
However, since you gave him your number, he has not used it.
He has not called or texted you.
If he was truly romantically interested in you, he would’ve taken advantage of the fact that you gave him your number and he would have contacted you very soon after receiving it.
Now that your ex has come back into your life, you have a big decision to make.
It took you a while to move forward from your ex emotionally and open yourself up to the possibility of dating someone else.
That is a lot of progress.
Over the course of the last year or so since the breakup, you don’t really know what your ex has been doing as far as his depression, childhood trauma and anxiety is concerned.
You don’t really know if he put in any work towards overcoming those issues and if he did, how much progress he has made.
If he hasn’t done any work on himself, then he is still essentially the same guy that he was when he broke up with you.
In other words, he is still dealing with those emotional issues.
So, if you were to decide to get back with him, things may be fine for a little while, but eventually, the problems will come up again and he may end up breaking your heart all over again.
Unless you are truly able to determine that he has put in the work on himself and overcome his depression, childhood trauma and anxiety, which in only just over a year since the breakup he most likely hasn’t, it would not be wise to even consider getting back with him.
At this time, yes, you should forget about both guys.
The guy that you have met on set is most likely not romantically interested in you and is only looking to have a work friend.
And, your ex has most likely come back into your life because he misses you, but at the same time, there is a strong likelihood that he hasn’t put in the work necessary to improve himself and overcome his emotional issues.
Just over a year or so since the breakup is just not enough time to do all that work, especially being that so much of his emotional issues are rooted in his childhood.
Exploring life on your own right now by traveling is a great idea.
As you stated, it would be a good idea to clear your mind a little more.
This will even possibly help you strengthen your sense of self-worth and give you a better idea of where you want your life to go.
It may not be a good idea to go back on set next year in order to see how your new interest is doing.
Having this kind of mentality may keep you stuck in the past when you should actually be moving forward.
It is best to just keep your mind open, go on this traveling adventure and let life happen.
You’re in a much healthier place today both mentally and emotionally than you were after the breakup about a year or so ago.
It is best to continue that momentum, instead of going backward.