Hello, I am very new to this group community and app.

I am 6 days shy from turning 18, am about to graduate this year from my High School in 4 months, and have a boyfriend who is 15 years older than me.

We recently started going out not too long ago, and I find myself falling harder for this man.

It was when I got a new job I met him, and I developed a crush on him. I loved the sound of his laugh, it made the stress of working at a food place easier. I fell for his silliness and humor, and soon I realized his stories were somewhat similar to mine.

When we started talking, it was after I had a panic attack at work, (I suffer from Panic Disorder and PTSD.) That we grew close. He would tell me of his history of panic, his family, and past, and I became rather fond of him. Soon we became fast friends and any chance I got away from the phones, which I took orders from, I went to talk to him in the kitchen. I became so fond we threw tickets at the other, and I realized I had been unconsciously flirting with this man. It was after a really rainy night, my wind shield wipers in my truck stopped working that I began to panic. I spotted him on a smoke break, and I rolled down my window to get his attention. Where I work tends to be a bad area, I didn’t want to be alone. He stayed with me until my wipers worked and I went home shouting a thanks to him.

It wasn’t until recently I found out he has gradually liked me back for awhile now. How this occurred was when I felt horrible letting him walk home after work, we are both night shift and live on the Eastern Shore, so when it was snowing really bad I offered to drive him. This soon became habitual, and I started spending more time with him after work in my truck. It was when one night I took him home, no electricity would work in my truck again and it was cold. What turned into a friendly chat grew into a romantic cuddle from the low temperatures.

From there after a few nights he confessed to me, and I admitted my emotions.

I asked him why he would date someone younger than him by 15 years, his response was that he gradually began to fall in love with me for my maturity, consideration, and how I was generous in all that I did. That he fell for me because he enjoyed being close to me. I listed my reasons, and I relationship became romantic.

Meanwhile, before we began dating I admitted my crush to my elder sister and best friend. Both have been sexual assault and abuse victims. My best friend from her own father. I am also a sexual harassment/assault victim. When I admitted this, both admitted either disgust or hope that I cap it before 10 years. My elder sister stating that older men tend to have this sense of power over a younger woman. My best friend, is overall concerned that I was in love with someone way older and was anxious because of her trauma with older men.

Recap, after a few slight overnight stays with my boyfriend. (Mind you, I never stepped a foot inside his home. I stayed in the truck with him.) My family, of course, was concerned of my early morning arrivals. I admitted to them honestly that I was with a coworker and I’d be staying at my grandmother’s to feed my bird in when I wake. Of course, I was afraid what they’d think of I had stated, “Yeah, I’m was with my 32 year old, male, coworker, because of the heavy rain.”

Now, here we are today.

I got a sit down from my mother today, which I foresaw coming.

But I was surprised when she found out that I was with my 32 year old coworker, and just simply asked to back off.

Ah, which is awkward since I am already with this man. Already devoted and in love with this man, and I am almost 18 to top it all off.

Now, I am not stating that just because I am 18 I can do whatever. That is simply false, if I live under my mother’s roof, which I hadn’t done so in about 7 years, I follow her demands regardless.

I believe in age gap relations, and I believe to be in love with this man and want to give him a shot at my heart for a long term relationship, hopefully.

But with my mother threatening that if she found out I was in a romantic and sexual relationship, demanding to say a few words to him. I am honestly terrified and I do not want either party to get hurt, and I fear the whole family will look down on me in disappointment. Like I already am, since I was already kicked out of my last home because I was a depending on the person I lived with, even though I was a minor! And because I broke up with my ex who assaulted me. Ever since I was diagnosed with my psychiatric disorders, it seems that they don’t believe me. These people are highly conservative by the way, by exception of my sister and my best friend.

I just am stuck on what to do.

I love this man and want to give it a try. I don’t wish to end it out of fear of my family. Is it bad to date someone like him when I am almost an adult legally?