Ok so sorry I already posted a question and someone thankfully helped me a lot thank you so much! But now something happened two days ago and I don't know what to do... I mean I guess I do kind of but I don't know how to word it. I tried to break up with my partner, and we were sitting in my car crying together for two and a half hours and everything was awful. I thought I'd finally done it, but then they started saying they would never do anything romantic with me again, that we could set agreements and rules and have open and honest communication. They said that they didn't want to be put at the level of my other best friends and still wanted to be by my side or in a partnership with me in some way. Basically they wanted to be special to me, and while they really have been, I didn't know if they could change themselves and I didn't want them to sacrifice even more and throw a bunch of shit they wanted all away to be in a weird confusing non relationship with me that i can barely grasp. I told them where we were was just too stressful to me and thats why I couldn't do it anymore, and they said they were not psychologically ready to not be with me in some way, and that they didn't want to have to tell their family that it was happening, that we broke up. And I almost didn't give in, but I did. I was so tired and so drained emotionally. I really care for this person a lot but I don't know how this change is going to go. Loving someone else more than yourself is not a secure basis for love in my opinion, and I don't want to be responsible for my partner doing that and throwing themselves away the same way I felt I did before for them to be happy, without my own comfort.
We live together in a dorm and we both didn't know what we were going to do after I almost broke up with them, where we would each go and what we would tell everyone when we thought that was it. I wanted things to be the same but a little different, and they also wanted that, and we are one of each others best and only friends at school. All our friends are mutual between us too. I was too exhausted and their answer was easy to give in to I suppose.
I told them I felt manipulated or guilted by them more than sometimes, in a kinder way than saying it straight out. But I really don't know if they will change.
I've read signs online about abusive or emotionally manipulative partners to see if me or my partner was abusive towards the other because sometimes I just don't know, I don't like the way I act towards my partner sometimes and I don't know if it is my fault or theirs. I read about how emotionally manipulative partners force the relationship to keep going because of the hold they have over the other person, because of their selfish wants and not listening to what the other person wants in the end.
Anyway, I really don't know how to do this. Or what to say, what concrete things I can present that will help this situation. Thanks to anyone who reads this ? I'm so grateful for people like you, much platonic love ?