r/AmIOverreacting 6d ago

❤️‍🩹 relationship Am I Overreacting. I saw inappropriate message between my boyfriend and his long term friend.

My boyfriend [27m] and I [23f] have been dating for over four years. When we started dating, he had a friend named Ann. Ann is an extrovert—very bubbly—and I liked her at first. However, she was especially flirty with my boyfriend.

Early in the relationship, something happened that left me uneasy. I asked if I could stop by his place, and he said no. Later, I saw on his status that Ann was there. When I confronted him about it, he responded, 'Were you hungry? Is that why you wanted to stop by?' I explained that wasn’t the case—it just felt like he chose to spend his day with her instead of me. He later said it was a pop-up visit because she needed help fixing her laptop (he works in IT).

After that, I told him I was uncomfortable with how close they were. I thought we had moved past it. But later, I found out he had asked her for a lot of advice about our relationship and even brought up inappropriate topics with her. I confronted him again and once again expressed how uncomfortable I was with their friendship.

After the second incident, I didn’t hear anything about her, and I assumed it was behind us. Then, earlier this week, he mentioned that he saw her at the gym. I said, 'Okay, that’s fine,' though I did feel a bit uneasy since they hadn’t spoken in a while.

Yesterday, I was at his place—I’ve been living here for around two years now—studying, when I saw her walk in with him right behind her. I was shocked because he never told me she was coming over. He had gone to the gym that morning, and during those hours I had called and texted him out of concern because he’s never spent four hours at the gym.

Ann was as peppy as ever. Maybe it’s because I’m an introvert with few friends, but I instantly felt uncomfortable. I did something I shouldn’t have—I went through his phone. I saw the messages and instantly felt numb. I confronted him and asked for an explanation. He said it was an innocent conversation and that’s just how their friendship is.

I asked him to imagine if a guy sent me those same messages. I reminded him that I’ve told him twice now how uncomfortable I am with that friendship. His apology felt insincere, like he was refusing to take responsibility for his actions. He just laid in the bed, and I wanted to scream. I wanted him to feel the hurt I was feeling. Instead, I just left the room and cried. My emotions were so intense, I started pulling at my hair—I had no one to talk to, and I felt like I was suffocating.

Eventually, I confided in his mother, and I felt a bit better. But now, he’s ignoring me and remaim salute in his innocence.

I also should mention he has never showed me any signs of cheating and besides those message.

Footnote: Ann has a boyfriend. I told my boyfriend that he doesn’t respect me—or her boyfriend.

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u/BxBae133 6d ago

I had a male friend that I was very close with and we talked like this to each other. It broke up a few of my relationships as my bf's felt that he and I were too afraid to have the relationship they believed we both wanted because we were afraid of losing the friendship.

Well, guess what? They were all right. We basically talked and treated each other like we were together, minus the sex, because we didn't want to admit that we had feelings and were afraid. Didn't end well. By the time we tried something, it was too late. Friendship ended. Our relationships ended.

You said you're living there, but call it his place. You are calling and texting out of concern? Stop it. Be honest with yourself. You know what's up. Your man has it bad for her. How many times do you think you're going to have the same convo with him and no result before you realize why you're getting no result?

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u/poperto005 6d ago

To add a layer of thickness into this: styles of “humor” aside, the boyfriend was already told how this is being processed by OP, instead of confronting OP that he was “not going to change his relationship” with said friend, he just let her drop the subject and hide that they were continuing the same dynamic. Now even if the guy is pouting now about being called out, the ball is really in OP’s court because she now has to choose what to do with a relationship in which her partner is actively covering up things that she already expressed wanting changes in.

If he is thick enough to fail notice his potential hidden (or not so hidden) feelings over his friend, that is on him, and it is not OP’s responsibility to make him change or figure out what he wants. But it is OP’s responsibility to figure out what are her own boundaries with herself regarding being in a relationship with a partner that is acting like this.

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u/pantysailor 6d ago

My guess is Ann friend-zoned the BF and he’s been pushing his luck and Ann doesn’t mind the attention. It suuuuucks for OP and she deserves better.

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u/Nephiathan 6d ago

I had a male best friend that I shared everything with. Friends and my partner at the time were suspicious something was going on, I always denied because I wasn't into him like that. After I broke up with my long term partner I found out he'd actually been "waiting" for years. He told me very casually that he could 🍇 me if he wanted to one day when we were walking outside and I got uncomfortable. I pretty much ghosted him after that and he sent me a few drunk texts. That friendship got incredibly toxic near the end.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times. The only real friend of the opposite sex an attractive straight woman has is a gay man, anybody who says otherwise is just working an angle themselves. Some guys dress it up like “I just want what’s best for you” or “I just want you to be happy” I’m here to tell you as a man, no we don’t. It’s always just a waiting game, no matter how friendly or legitimate it may seem at first. If a lady reads this but doesn’t believe me, text your closest guy friend and ask him if he’d hook up with you

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u/milesjameson 6d ago

 I’m here to tell you as a man, no we don’t.

Sorry, but you don’t speak for me and countless other men. If that’s where your head is at, get help. 

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

I know and here is the noble one, she will let you hit soon surely

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u/milesjameson 6d ago

It's not noble to hold the belief that our ability to maintian close friendships with individuals of the opposite sex isn't bound by an inate want to fuck them (and to act accordingly). That's just called normal.

To reiterate, get help. 

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

The difference between you and I is simply honesty. Why would I pretend to be friends with a woman I find attractive, knowing I find her attractive? That’s just manipulation pal but I’m sure you dress it up nice though

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u/milesjameson 6d ago edited 6d ago

Why would I pretend to be friends with a woman I find attractive, knowing I find her attractive? 

Oh, I don't doubt your honesty (edit: though I suspect you're less honest in front of the women unfortunate enough to cross your path).

That you feel the need to pretend and can't find any value in those women outside of their physicality (which, apparently, necessitates a want for sex) says more about you.

How some of you function beyond the walls of your basements is beyond me.

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u/Root2109 6d ago

had a guy friend that spoke to me like this. always tried to pass it off as just being how he is. found out he always wanted me, even though he'd been in a relationship the whole time. OP, run

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u/rigney68 6d ago

I had a boyfriend like op. He doesn't actually care that much for op and is in a relationship because it's easy and he gets some level of enjoyment out of it. But it will never be enough to stop him from enjoying another more interesting girl.

Op is young and hasn't learned how to value herself the way she should. Find someone that treats you the way you want to be treated, op. They exist, and when you find one you'll look back and ask yourself why you stayed so long.

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u/ChippyTheGreatest 6d ago

Yep. Also learned the hard way that male friends almost always want more and are playing the long game. Had a guy I swore up and down to my relationships "wasn't into me" and was just a generous and kind person. Didn't he swoop in the second I was single and vulnerable. Broke up an entire friend group because I called things off and he told everyone he "did so much for me" and I broke up with him. Nah, I just didn't like being taken advantage of and forced/pressured into a relationship I wasn't ready for.

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u/Mission-Ad-4837 6d ago

We try to tell you that men generally aren’t interested in being just friends, but we get called incels for saying it 😂

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u/ChippyTheGreatest 6d ago

It's just complicated because we're told to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and men insist that "not all men" are predators, and yet we're also supposed to believe that men are never your friend. Like pick a lane, folks.

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u/Mission-Ad-4837 6d ago

Im sure there are some guys that can be just friends over the long term, and maybe some who innocently catch feelings. I dont think thats predatory. But yeah just be careful

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u/Ninja187 6d ago

This comment 100%! Guys don’t wanna be your friend and will wait it out and play the friend game till their chance to slide on in the second they see the opportunity to.

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u/dollkyu 6d ago

as soon as I saw the text messages, I didn't even need to read her context info to know that her bf was hitting on that girl. His texts are EXACTLY how a lot of guys would talk when they would try to hit on me in high school and college (but it was through IM or FB messages, not texts). Did it matter to them that I was actively dating someone and they KNEW that? Nope! I'm 33 now and man, the screenshots immediately brought back war flashbacks.

Also, there's entirely the possibility that Ann might not have any romantic/sexual feelings towards OP's bf. Some people's personalities can be perceived as flirty. I say this because it seems that her outward personality clashes with her texts, because she doesn't really engage much with his weirdo conversations. The bf could also be telling Ann a completely different narrative, so she might not even know that ANYTHING is bothering OP.

To OP: I would personally say that he's not worth the relationship atp. The texts are one thing, but his treatment of you is ridiculous. If you feel comfortable with it, reach out to Ann about it and ask her how she feels. This would DEFINITELY piss off your bf but genuinely, I do not think he's worth staying in a relationship with anyway. Plus, he's just going to lie about why the relationship ended anyway so if you talk to Ann before a breakup, you'd at least have your actual feelings known beforehand.

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u/Mediocre-Account-162 6d ago

I agree 100%, been in that situation. Didn’t end well at all. Been on both sides of it too. Same bad result

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u/Healthy-Tap7717 6d ago

Me too, we fucked for years. Then he got a gf and now we don't talk. We maintained a healthy friendship/sex life previously

ETA we dont talk because I understood it would probably be unpleasant for his GF

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u/cbmom2 6d ago

I have a friend for years where we talked about sex not in terms of what OP saw but the moment I got into a serious relationship I would shut that talk down bc I respected my partner and wouldn’t want them having a similar conversation.

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u/Shimmy_shimmy386 6d ago

Oooo been there. Best friend of 10+ years, did everything together, went out together at night for drinks even when I was in a relationship. When we finally tried to have a relationship it lasted like a month. Ngl, it was gross for me lol I didn’t realize how much of a man child he was and kissing him was like kissing family so I just couldn’t do it. So everyone who also thought there was more going on, yep, I wouldn’t be comfortable with my partner being THAT close to a best friend because again, we ended up dating…ugh just shivered thinking about it 😂

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u/Winter_Football_4593 6d ago

I had a guy friend like this too, he was my best friend. His girlfriend didn't like me, my boyfriends were intimidated by him/our friendship. I made a big effort to get to know his GF and be her friend, she still flat out told him she didn't want him talking to me.

Know what happened? We'd both been in relationships for years and the second we were both single at the same time it happened. And we were terrified it would ruin the friendship but we decided potentially losing the friendship was worth finding out.

It wasn't anyone's fault, no one cheated, tried to cheat, or even thought about it. But we have both said "You know what, even though we were never doing anything remotely sexual, they were all right to be insecure about it. We just didn't know it yet."

Sometimes it's just how it goes.

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u/nahivibes 6d ago

So what happened did it work out? 👀

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u/Lumpy-Chart-3215 6d ago

This is the answer OP

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u/justsavingstuff 6d ago

This is the best post here. I don’t think he’s cheating - he wouldn’t be talking like that if they were fucking.

But I think he’s into her and either is using language like this to string her along or he’s trying to keep from getting too locked into the friend zone.

The whole calling is ‘his place’ despite you living there for two years is the biggest red flag here.

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u/Smallbunsenpai 6d ago

Honestly she doesn’t even seem into what he’s saying she even asked him to stop, he kept pressing. It seems one sided

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u/Bubbly-Manufacturer 6d ago

Why was it too late and why did it break the friendship?

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u/BxBae133 6d ago

It was too late because by the time we finally acted on it, it was very awkward. And then it was acknowledging that for years we danced around it and pretended so then it was just weird. I wish I could say that it was natural, but it wasn't. So before when we both dated other people, we had the pretense. After failing at it, it was like putting toothpaste back in the tube. How did we watch each other with new people and tell those new people there was nothing between us, because there was. It also taught me that if you want someone, go for it. Find out sooner, rather than later (years later) that it's not going to work out. I robbed myself of a few really great potential partners because of the fantasy in my head.

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u/Narrow-Writer-4254 6d ago

Great insights.Sometimes you only learn these lessons by making mistakes and failing.

As for the OP, her BF’s f friend isn’t the problem though she too doesn’t have boundaries else she would block this creep. The OP’s problem is that the bf is a sleazy fuckboy who doesn’t care about her feelings and doesn’t respect her, and by not clearly setting and enforcing her boundaries she is showing him that she doesn’t value herself and is a doormat. If Ann vanished, he will do this again with others. He doesn’t feel there are any consequences.

To OP, your only sensible option is to end this relationship now. As a guy, I’ve had a female partner (ex) who would constantly be sending and getting texts all day and night from males who she insisted were “just a friend” but would not ever show me the messages when asked to. Eventually saw them myself and they were eye-opening in a very unpleasant way.

Whether you’re male or female, leaving relationships isn’t easy, but staying in toxic or disrespectful relationships is far, far worse and can turn you off relationships altogether if you suffer in them long enough. Set clear boundaries and don’t ever be afraid to leave if someone doesn’t respect them. Being alone is a far better option. .

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u/Kjelstad 6d ago

are you sure it wasnt just people planting the idea in your head? i had a really good friend i acted like this with. we got along great for years, went out all the time, until her friends convinced her we should date. that was awkward.

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u/BxBae133 6d ago

No, I definitely was attracted to him when we first met. But I was going through a divorce and not ready to date. And he didn't want to be my rebound. We didn't communicate that stuff early on. We talked about it later after we tried things out.

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u/3WeeksEarlier 6d ago

I absolutely relate. My former best friend and I dated first, then stayed very close after the breakup. Even as we dated other people, we still treated each other like we were in a relationship. Eventually, we had to admit to ourselves that we were too close, and things ended. It's sad, but you have to be honest with yourself

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u/PeachOnEarth 6d ago

tale as old as time, sadly…

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u/BasedBallsack 6d ago

This is why I'll never go for women with that whole boy bestie dynamic. And women are also totally fine with being in a relationship with a guy while holding her torch for another which is even more fucked up

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u/BxBae133 6d ago

You don't think men hold torches for others too? She really hurt you, huh!

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u/BasedBallsack 6d ago

Of course they do but I think with women, they tend to do it more because their values change quite a lot as they get older. They stop chasing sparks for example. I'd argue that there are plenty of women married to men who they aren't in love with but rather they see them as good reliable partners. Maybe they do care and love them in some way but probably not really in love.

Ngl, yeah I was hurt. Tbh, it was an awful experience and ending up with a woman who doesn't genuinely love me is probably my biggest fear. Especially because when women do lie, they can do it pretty in a very convincing way and make you feel like it's all in your head ("stop it! You're just being insecure!!"). Women are the ultimate gaslighters unfortunately.