About 2 years or so ago this story begins & starts when there was this attractive coworker I met who we'll call Ex.

Well when I first met Ex, I thought they were 20-25 years old & then to my (19M) giant suprise is that they were (29F). I hadn't made it known I was attracted to them any, mainly because I was still figuring out my feelings at this point now lol, but after time we ended up being lose work buddies for the next month or two slowly building what would become two friends starting to know & trust each other, when I took the gamble on our friendship & told them I harbor some confusing feelings towards them, but since I kind of see myself becoming friends with this person I want to try and work those feelings away & be honest about this/not date. To which Ex said "It was fine, and they don't like me like that"

Well fast forward to a few months later of us having worked out the kinks in our friendship, some tears, and getting to know Ex's partner De(27F). De and I have begun to kind of trust & know each other aswell. Causing us all to hangout and have fun. Well after I've been hanging out with Ex & De for a few times, they end up making some off hand remarks to me about how "they've had people occasionally date them both, and how it's never worked or they were weird" & "it would have to be the perfect man, for both of us to want." then later that night after we all went bowling & I got home. Ex ends up saying (*in response to a joke I made forever ago about how I think De is cute/beautiful too not just Ex*) "So you like De?" "Makes sense you have the same tastes as me" alongside "Do you wanna go on a date with us again in the future" and I reply, innocently. "Sure! sounds like fun, I had a blast third wheeling for you & De today!" Then Ex says "I mean like a date date with us. Not as friends"

Which completely catches me off guard because I fully wanted to think this person was my friend, which I do say my intuition made me afraid that Ex secretly liked me for a while because I swore I could feel it, but alas I replied "Uhhhh, I'd go on a date with you two, I just don't want it to change anything between us as friends Ex?" to which Ex texted, "I guess I'll just go die in a hole" and was saddened making my anxiety wriddled brain quickly respond saying "wait, I'd be happy to date you Ex & De, I just don't wanna ruin anything good between us and loved being friends." after which we all agreed to go ahead & do it. Ended up with all of us jump aboard with the ship. After a day or two thinking about it tho Ex ended up breaking things off saying "They couldn't be with someone so young and how they felt betrayed because I had lied for months and only saw Ex that way & just wanted in her pants like all other men!"

I explained a little how It wasn't like that. I wanted to be honest & open about how I genuinely love her, but I probably value her friendship more; like she's drop dead beautful ong, but I don't think we're the best match or right for each other irregardless that I love her to the moon n back.

It's really hurt my feelings and I ended up breakings things off with them as friends a little after that because of how much overall emotional pain they've cause me as a friend, I was getting to my last straw & did it out of respect for Ex and myself, and because I felt betrayed/misunderstood by someone who I trusted, and that I thought I was being honest with myself & them that I didn't like Ex that way, just to be chucked out like I was trash.

I tried being honest the whole time about working over my feelings then not liking them anymore and even went out of my way to make them as comfortable as possible around me, but they still treated me like a weirdo the whole time. They still consider me the bad guy and I don't really foster any ill feelings towards them, just afraid of them cause of trauma, but I don't see what I did wrong.

TL:DR I wanted a friend and got an unethical age gap situationship that gave me emotional trauma?