Mixed signals suck! I don’t intend to send them. A long long time ago in a galaxy far far away, an older male friend of mine got the idea that I was interested in him in a
“more than just friends” way. I was pretty clear about the situation, I even had a boyfriend at the time. I liked the company of this fellow, had a few fun things in common, but there were lots of things that were simply not compatible (mostly the age difference, life experiences and common interests) but I really appreciated his wisdom, comradeship and stability. He was like a terrific female friend, but I had absolutely no passion or sexual interest towards him and I think I made that pretty clear from the get go. Unfortunately, you sometimes have to shout in big fat words, “I think you’re nice, but I have a boyfriend and I don’t consider you to be boyfriend/husband material for XY and Z reasons!” If you don’t shout that, some people will assume that they “have a shot with you” down the road. Never lead people on to figure it out for themselves, and never assume that they will “get it” unless you spell it out, specifially. Never be mean, always be compassionate, but always be clear and specific.