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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

mad at bf for lunch with ex

25 replies

RadicalRavenclaw · 03/05/2019 10:50

My boyfriend of 18 months dated another girl for a few months up until a couple of months before we met - they stopped seeing each other because of the long summer holiday after first year of uni - she ended it. He was keen to remain friends - the reason he gave for this when he told me about this 6 months ago is that his last breakup was very acrimonious. They didn't know each other beforehand - I think they met on Tinder. I met my boyfriend in the first week of university and we've been going out since.
They started hanging out as friends alone from time to time from the start of the year. We became official, and she started dating one of his friends. He introduced us at a party a few months in, but never told me during all of their hanging out or when talking about her that they had previously dated. He was keen for us to meet each other at the party - we haven't met since. One weird thing happened one night when I was hanging out with him and his friends where he called me by her name - they sound similarish and I didn't think too much of it at the time, only recalled it later.
Nearly a year into our relationship, we were having a bit of a heart to heart with me telling him about my past sexual experiences, which amount to a couple of non-consensual experiences, one quite violent. I’d told him a bit about this before, but not in detail. He then told me that he and the girl had previously dated, and that he hadn’t wanted to tell me because he knew it would upset me (I’d been quite upset about having to have the picture in my mind when he told me about a specific quite pornographic sexual thing he’d done with acrimonious ex, and when he told me about a girl in my college with whom he’d had a one-night-stand before I came to uni).
Anyway, that was just before she went on her year abroad, so neither of us were going to see her again for the next year. I told him that while I found the thought gross and would be uncomfortable around her, I was glad he’d told me.
Yesterday afternoon, I texted him asking him how his day was going, and he casually mentioned that she was back and he’d got lunch with her. I responded expressing my discomfort, and he then replied a few hours later with confusion, before I further explained. He said “Ik ik” when I said I was upset and then stopped the conversation and went to bed, leaving me really cross and upset and unable to sleep. I texted him a bit more explaining why I was upset, and then when he eventually responded just now he just ignored that and asked how I am.
Am I being unreasonable to be upset about this? They haven’t hung out before with me knowing about their past, and my bf knew this would upset me but is refusing to engage in discussing it.

OP posts:
Greywalls12 · 03/05/2019 10:53

YABU. Do you not trust him?

outvoid · 03/05/2019 10:54

They never stopped having sex. I think you must know this deep down. Sad for you but just cut your losses, he sounds like a dick.

pinkyredrose · 03/05/2019 10:58

The problem is your insecurity. It's ok for him to have sex with previous partners and it's ok for him to be friends an ex. Why on earth were you upset about his previous sex life?

YouJustDoYou · 03/05/2019 11:02

@outvoid you have no idea if that's true, why say something to cause deliberate distress? Fgs. Op, he's entitled to friends, and you're also entitled to your feelings. You can't help the way you feel, and you also can't control who he is or isn't friends with. I'd also be upset though if my dh started hanging out with his ex! But if he refused to stop doing it and it was still upsetting me, then I'd have to decide whether I wanted to remain in a relationship with him or not.

JuniFora · 03/05/2019 11:03

He deceived you from the outset. An honest person would be upfront about the nature of their relationship from the beginning. If he lied about that, what else has he lied about? It's not insecurity to not trust a liar. It would be foolish to.

If you want a trusting relationship that you feel secure in, you need to find an honest, open man. Then you can trust him no matter where he is or who he's with. No suspicions necessary. You won't get that with him, he's shown you who he is.

SleepingStandingUp · 03/05/2019 11:06

Just because it makes you uncomfortable doesn't mean he shouldn't do it.

Do you trust him?

If not, walk away now. If so, then you trust him to not get with her whilst he's with you.

I'd be making an effort to befriend her

RadicalRavenclaw · 03/05/2019 11:10

I do trust him and I don't think they've had or are going to have sex while we're together. It just makes me upset to think about her and his past and that he doesn't seem to care about this upsetting me.

OP posts:
IsYourGoogleBroken · 03/05/2019 11:13

@outvoid - massive jump you made ther, considering the EX hzs been overseas for a year.

You know OP, I tend to move on when I finish with someone but thats becasue I declutter my life, DH on the other hand has a plethora of ex GFs from 30 odd years ago he still chats to and sees. I have no issue with this. It all comes down to trust. There isnt any reason why people cant continue to be friends. You dont seem to have that trust in him, why is that?

Another thing - idle chit chat about past lovers - BAD THING - (caps for a reason) - what goes on between you and a sexual partner should stay in the bedroom. It simply is not up for discussion with subsequent partners, its private and between the two people concerned.

HBStowe · 03/05/2019 11:16

Everyone has a past, OP, and it doesn’t sound like he’s doing anything more than occasionally catching up with someone who is now a friend. That said, I think it’s unfair on you that he hid it from you. It makes it seem sneaky.

SleepingStandingUp · 03/05/2019 11:26

I'm sure he cares but the only thing he do is keep rehashing the convo but maintain his stance which will achieve nothing or give in to you which isn't actually helpful

Kindly meant, but have you considered therapy? You've had some awful experiences and then all these intrusive thoughts, it isn't typical behaviour to letting someone your partner had sex with before he met you

pinkyredrose · 03/05/2019 11:29

Why on earth does it make you upset to think about his past?! HmmConfused everyone has a past, what the fuck do you expect him to do about it?

JessieMcJessie · 03/05/2019 11:33

Unless you are all mature students, you are still quite young. Instead of getting insecure about his past, why don’t you call it a day and go out and have some fun dating other people?

He should have told you when he first introduced the other girl that she was an ex. He may well be trying to avoid another acrimonious breakup with this girl, having been stung by the last one, or there may be more to it. You are both still just feeling your way in the world of relationships and there will be a fair bit of trial and error.

justmyview · 03/05/2019 11:34

I think better to speak face-to-face, rather than have these conversations by text message

Everyone has a past

He is entitled to go out for lunch with her if he wants. You can't dictate that he mustn't do that. However, you can say that it makes you feel uncomfortable, and you're not sure if you wish to continue your relationship with him. That way, it's his choice whether he pursues the relationship with you, or prioritises the friendship with her over your relationshipyou

MRex · 03/05/2019 11:36

It's strange and childish to get upset about him having had sex with others in the past. You can't demand that an adult is a virgin before you meet them and adults are entitled to stay friends. YABVVVVVU to expect him not to have lunch with a friend. It's probably best that you spend time on your own working through your issues, then when you're ready for an adult relationship you can try again. Your own sexual history with abuse might be having an effect here, though don't know why it would, but a counsellor might help you to unpick your feelings.

RadicalRavenclaw · 03/05/2019 11:41

@SleepingStandingUp - I have had some therapy which was helpful and am starting to consider trying to get more soon. It's quite emotionally draining and time-absorbing though so tough to convince self when I'm sort of functional at the moment. I think past experiences are probably relevant to why I find it difficult to think about his past - mine is quite invasive and distressing so I think I struggle to believe that his pleasant past isn't similarly present in his mind. I think the not telling me was kindly meant as he knew telling me about the act with acrimonious ex had really distressed me (agreed that's inappropriate @IsYourGoogleBroken ), but that was more because of the quite specific image it conjured, as well I suspect because it was very similar to something that had been done against my will to me so had that very negative association, and I didn't think it was something I would ever be down for again consensually so had that comparison and feeling inadequate compared to past lovers.

OP posts:
Meandwinealone · 03/05/2019 12:03

You can’t put your issues and problems onto your boyfriend. That’s not fair.
Regardless of how hard your life has been up to now.

I would gently suggest you are in no way ready to be in a relationship until you have worked through your own issues.

SleepingStandingUp · 03/05/2019 13:44

SORT OF functional and I'm the wring head space for a relationship Radical. Just give it some thought x

piffar · 03/05/2019 14:43

Op I could have written this.

I too have experienced very violent non consensual sexual experiences in the past and like you I can imagine, I have extremely low self esteem.

When I was with my ex, he had a friend, just a friend, who he was close to. He used to meet her for lunch, jus them two and it really got to me. It was obvious she liked him, she used to comment in front of me of what a great couple they would make etc., extremely flirty etc.

She eventually ended up sleeping in my bed with him (to which my ex still maintains sex didn't happen, and to which the texts between them would confirm this).

But I could never let it go. I used to send texts like you explaining why I was sad about it and he would ignore and send back texts like how are you now etc.

She used to turn up at his place of work to see her boyfriend and they ended up having coffee together. I lost my shit and accused him of decieving me even though he had been honest with me.

He eventually dumped me. The girl is with his best friend now, and he's been single ever since.

I ended that relationship before it began because of my insecurities.

I would say you have two options: seek therapy like I did (schema focused therapy is fab for me, and also cognitive analytical therapy) and notice that sometimes your behaviours may be over the top or push people away. Or you can speak to him and voice your concerns in person, and see wjat he says.

It's not fair to ask him to stop being friends, do you think you'll react like this every time he sees her?

piffar · 03/05/2019 14:45

I also think it's highly inappropriate you said the thought of him and his ex was "gross"

Why shame him for having a past?

DelurkingAJ · 03/05/2019 14:53

I nearly dumped DH when we were first going out because he was upset that I was mates with various ex bfs. The fact that we had broken up rather gave the game away (as far as I was concerned) as to whether they were a ‘danger’ to our relationship. Fast forward 15 years and DH is friends with a few of them. Completely normal (I was much more worried that having no ex’s as friends was a red flag as it suggested DH couldn’t maintain a civil relationship with his ex’s).

However, you clearly have other factors at play. You need to establish if (a) the problem is in your past rather than your present; if it’s in the past then therapy might help, if it’s in the present then you may have to accept that you and your bf have different views on this and that he might take the view that if you can’t trust him he’ll walk.

JuniFora · 03/05/2019 15:22

The amount of gaslighting on this thread. A woman does not need therapy for not trusting a man who has lied to her. A liar will always lie. An honest man won't.

Dungeondragon15 · 03/05/2019 15:35

I would feel uncomfortable too about this. However, falling out with him it is is counter productive. There isn't much point in discussing this. Either decide that there is nothing going on and you are ok about it or split up with him.

RadicalRavenclaw · 03/05/2019 15:35

Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply. This has been really helpful and I've realised I am being unreasonable. I shouldn't expect him to sacrifice a friendship that brings him happiness because of my insecurities.

I appreciate the responses telling me to work on myself and that I'm not ready for a relationship. I am very very fond of my boyfriend and I think I make him happy most of the time, so I don't think it is necessary for me to end a great relationship. However, I agree that I should definitely pursue some therapy as all of this baggage is having a negative effect on me and my relationship. Thank you for the therapy suggestions @piffar . My last therapist through the university counselling service suggested some private therapists I could contact and also said I could come back to her if necessary - I should do this. Thank you very much for sharing your experience piffar and AJ - I found these very useful for considering my behaviour more from a similar and a different perspective.

I am seeing my boyfriend tomorrow so I will apologise. I think I will ask him not to mention it to me when he is hanging out with her as the issue is not trust (he is truly wonderful and definitely not a cheating dick XD ) but the feeling it evokes in me, and then I will work on the self-esteem and trauma issues separately myself.

OP posts:
DelurkingAJ · 03/05/2019 15:37

Good luck! Please do also be kind to yourself!

SleepingStandingUp · 03/05/2019 15:53

@JuniFora of course not, but maybe for several sexual assaults and intrusive thoughts about her boyfriend with other people. That isn't a typical experience of meeting your bf's ex, not to the degree of distress its causing

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