How many times do you have to turn a guy down before he realises your not interested?

this sounds like the problem of a 12yr old, but im 23 and he is 26.





he is a friend of a friend so i see him a lot at party's and when on nights out.


he is a nice guy and we get on well, but i see him as nothing more than a friend, i have never had even the slightest attraction to him.





I have been careful not to flirt with him as i have known he has had a thing for me since we first met (i later found out that a mutual friend was trying to set us up without informing me first)





i told her i wasn't interested in him.





from the first time he asked me out i was clear and honest, i told him that i didn't want to go out with him or date because i wasn't over my last relationship.


he seemed to understand and we still saw each other at parties and chatted occasionally by text.





i have always been careful not to suggest anything over text (people seem to read into things) so i never put a X or any smiley faces and never say anything to suggest i like him as more than a friend or want a date.





but over the last few months he has started asking me out again, and again i have been clear and told him that he is great as a friend but i don't want to date.





he now texts every few days (with general chit chat) and it seems rude to ignore all of his messages, i dont want an atmosphere when we are out with friends.





he asks says things like ';how are you still single'; and i tell him ';because i choose to and that's how i like it';





but still he is asking me out!





I have been ';busy'; for the past 2months and still he doesn't seem to get the picture.


I don't know how I can make it any clearer.





I have pretty much spelled it out to him.....more than once. I don't know what else I'm meant to do for him to get it.





I haven't told our mutual friends because it doesn't seem fair to put them in the middle.


I don't want to be rude to him or completely ignore him because it will make things difficult.





how can i make it even clearer than i already have?How many times do you have to turn a guy down before he realises your not interested?
just the once is enough for me --- maybe he thinks you are playing hard to get and he just keeps trying harder --- best wishesHow many times do you have to turn a guy down before he realises your not interested?
Sometimes you just gotta be straight forward, from his stand point, he prolly thinks he still has a chance so he'll keep trying... Spelling it out or being ';busy'; won't help the situation. you're just gonna hafta tell him how it is, and if he's a mature kid he'll be understanding about it, if not no worries u never wasted your time.