Afraid to take a chance with love

I am a 47-year old widower and have been single for over a decade after my marriage ended. My ex-wife moved on and married soon after our divorce, but I didn’t feel like dating or meeting anyone because I was too upset about the end of our relationship. I have been fairly happy and satisfied living the life of a bachelor, but a friend of mine recently introduced me to a widow who is my age, and we have been meeting regularly for the past month or so. She is a very nice person and we get along well because we have similar interests. I think my friend wants us to consider living together, and I know she is lonely and needs a companion. I am thinking about it but a part of me is also afraid because I won’t be able to cope if this doesn’t work out, too. I am nervous, but also worried because I am no longer that young. Should I just stay single and avoid any unnecessary possibilities of being hurt?
You can stay single if that works for you, but we are social beings and the need for companionship may arise at some point in your future. It’s impossible to predict how any relationship may work or fail, but it is also difficult to find someone one genuinely wants to spend time with. Your fears are justified, but this lady presumably has them too because it can’t be an easy step for her. Why not put aside any thought of living together and simply give yourself a chance to get to know someone, if only as a friend? The more time you both spend with each other, the easier it will be for you to arrive at a decision of where you want this to go.

My boyfriend doesn’t like it when I dress provocatively, but we have different ideas of what this means. What should I do?
Wear what you are comfortable with because your body is under your control alone.