I have co-led a local chapter of a nonprofit/volunteer charity for a few years, along with another volunteer co-leader (X). The charity does some good by organizing people to do charity work.

I [edited to add] had already told X that I was already planning to step down from the volunteer leadership role when my term ends this summer, as I don't have time. X also told me that X planned to resign. That would likely cause the chapter to close or at least be much less active, as no other leaders had stepped up.

X emailed me a few days ago, telling me that the reason that X was resigning was me: X had begun to like me, and I had thus caused X to stray from X's original goal of doing good in the world. X said that X was thus disqualified from volunteering and had to quit. X said that it was clear that I didn't like X back.

I guess one response could have been been for me to tell X that I like X as well, but while X and I were (I thought) totally fine as co-volunteers, there is nothing more.

So I contacted the head of the nonprofit (at its national headquarters in another city), resigned immediately, and let X know that I was very sorry to be the cause of X leaving, that I resigned, and that I hope that my resignation would allow X to stay on with the nonprofit.

I don't really like being told that I am the source of someone else quitting (which would have caused the nonprofit to close or be less active) since I don't see what I did wrong to cause the person to quit; X's desire to quit was all X's own issue, from what I see.

AITAH to quit? AITAH in that I didn't profess my love of X?

Thanks.