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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Husband and our (f) best friend on holiday

1000 replies

OfMyDog · 06/08/2023 14:10

Sanity check please. Just back from 10 days in Santorini where it was me, DH our DS and also my best friend and her DS of same age. She is on a lower income so we offered for her and her son to join us and we paid for everything. She’s married too but she and her husband aren’t close so he stayed home, so just took her and her son.

She’s mainly my best friend and we’re super close and I trust her implicitly, but my husband also counts her as his best friend. They used to work together years ago. At home they go out alone together all the time, play sport together, meet for coffee and if one is WFH, they meet up at our house or hers for lunch without me. Our sons are in same class at school and it’s all one merged family. Her husband doesn’t seem to care what she does.

In the first week of the holiday they were spending loads of time together and I felt a bit like a spare part sometimes, he chats to her more than me, they joke together, they went to watch the sunset together on the beach alone etc. If we go somewhere, he sits in the middle of us with one of us either side but then he talks to her and ignores me, and if I bring this up he just makes out that it’s his right and that I’m boring him by even mentioning it.

I love her to bits and believe she is fully on my side, but I hate seeing him laughing and joking with her. I trust her and I’ve no physical evidence to doubt that he is doing anything, though he’s alwsys on his phone late at night :/ My family says that I’m being too trusting and that it’s not right. When I’ve tried speaking to him about it and how I feel, he shuts it down and says I’m being ridiculous and turns it into an argument about how it’s my fault and I’m being silly.

One thing that really stood out was a night on holiday where both our DS had fallen asleep in ‘our’ hotel room, so I stayed with them, and DH who’d been texting her all eve went to her hotel room and was gone for ages. When I went over and knocked, they were just sat on sofa and she was in her PJs, I have no reason to think anything happened then or any other time, but maybe I’m also being naiive!?!?

I don’t know what I’m asking other than AINBU to think that they’re just friends and it’s fine? I trust her, and I’ve never seen any evidence of him cheating. It’s just a bit uncomfortable with it sometimes and any of my other friends who hear about it think im a mug. I also hate how he just shuts me down and says I’m being too clingy for even mentioning it. Now we’re back in the UK they’re literally finding every opportunity to go for walks together and again I feel like the spare part, argh!

Please tell me I’m not being ridiculous!

xx

OP posts:
OnlyFoolsnMothers · 06/08/2023 14:50

They’re having an affair

Newnamefor23 · 06/08/2023 14:50

It does all seem a bit odd.

Could be DH is having an affair? Could be he is just friendly and naive?

Could be she is angling?

Going on holiday like like again this is perhaps not a good idea?

It presents opportunities, time together etc. which could tip the balance?

Would I ditch the friend? No. Would I be a bit cautious, careful, wary possibly yes.

AnyFucker · 06/08/2023 14:50

“Haven’t seen any evidence of an affair”

Are you visually impaired ?

PTSDBarbiegirl · 06/08/2023 14:51

Who suggested you pay for the friend & her son, who suggested she join you? All very odd. DH taking the piss. I'd assume they are shagging or your DH is a prick. You can do better.

Notgnillew · 06/08/2023 14:53

At best, your husband fancies your friend like mad and is spending all of his emotional energy and attention on her, and she is lapping up the attention. At worst, they've been having an affair for years. None of this is acceptable. You need to have a frank conversation with him and if he refuses, kick him out.

SpongeBobJudgeyPants · 06/08/2023 14:53

She is NOT your friend. We are all saying it. Please don't trust her. You can't trust either of them Flowers

WalnutBlue · 06/08/2023 14:53

He went to her hotel room to have sex it's obvious.
If my dh did this crap I would send him packing.
He wanted her there on holiday so again they could shag right under your nose.

BHRK · 06/08/2023 14:53

She is not your friend if she is so willing to cross these obvious boundaries! And he is having an affair with her or trying to.
You need to tell him he either stops this behaviour with her or he has to leave. It is NOT appropriate

Katey83 · 06/08/2023 14:54

If he wasn’t doing anything wrong he would reassure you and change his behaviour.

lemonsaretheonlyfruit · 06/08/2023 14:54

I really feel for you. But they are both playing a part in this. They both have a responsibility to you in this (yes your DH more than her but if she's your best mate then she also should have too)

It's very difficult as you can't unsee / I feel it. Have you thought about next steps? I think those who are saying LTB / they are 100% having an affair are jumping the gun a bit but I would absolutely be watching things very carefully for the next few weeks.

wizzywig · 06/08/2023 14:54

There's a reason her husband has given up.

realitytransurfing · 06/08/2023 14:54

I'm sorry OP but you are behaving like an absolute mug- of course something is going on, this is waaaay beyond the realms of normal, let alone reasonable. Theyre shagging or just about to. They want to watch the sunset together without you, he's with her in her room whilst you are babysitting, he ignores you and talks only to her, he's gaslighting you. Dont be so naive- they're both stabbing you in the back and neither of them give a toss. Dump both of them.

Lostthefairytale · 06/08/2023 14:55

I usually think the MN response to male/female friendship is over the top however in this case it is spot on. When the kids fell asleep in your room anyone who is your friend would have said that they would sit in and sent the two of you out for a drink together. Same with the sunset scenario. She absolutely is not your friend because, regardless of whether anything is going on, she shows you no consideration.

As for your husband, he enjoys the attention. None of us know if anything is going on or not but his focus is not on you and your relationship. This will never change while you are allowing this fantasy scenario to play out. It's really unhealthy.

RandomForest · 06/08/2023 14:55

wizzywig · 06/08/2023 14:54

There's a reason her husband has given up.

This.

JudgeRudy · 06/08/2023 14:55

I get this makes you feel uncomfortable. I actually don't think they're having an affair though I'd say he does have feelings towards her and vice versa. The fact that she's female does complicate issues as there could be a physical attraction however I think this is more about you not feeling like you're his number one priority. Let's say it was his male friend, and eg he stayed with you over Xmas. Initially you might like the fact that your child thought he was good fun and your husband was animated and 'alive'...but if he kept taking about 'the match' or buggering off into the mancave for a beer and a game of cod till midnight you'd be annoyed. I think it's the same thing, except he's unlikely to have sex with his mate!
This isn't about sex, it's about intimacy and boundaries. You're feeling like the third person in your own relationship. Why not suggest you and friend go off znd do something on your own. Leave him with the kids. Ask her if she'd mind staying in with the kids so you two can have a couples meal. Present it as X has kindly offered to babysit....saw a lovely restaurant i know youd like. Gauge his reaction. Forget about her for a moment. Does he actually want to spend time with you. If you manage to get out as a couple see what you've got to talk about. I know a couple who often have friends round for meals etc, go to the pub in groups, holidays too. On the surface it seems like the friends get in the way of them veing a couple but I honestly think it's the friends that hold them together. Their own relationship seems purely functional. They brush along OK and both respect each other and have no plans to separate but they're not in love anymore if they ever were. There son has just left home.iyll be o threshing to see how it pans out. Could this be you two?

LakeTiticaca · 06/08/2023 14:56

Of course he's shagging her. Open your eyes

diddl · 06/08/2023 14:56

They might not be having an affair but neither of them give a shit about you Op!

EmmaBridgewaterMugs · 06/08/2023 14:56

What awful people and I feel sorry for you and the boys.

LadyEloise1 · 06/08/2023 14:56

@OfMyDog - have you read all the posts by people who bothered to post a reply to you.
They're saying you are being taken for a mug by her and him.
As are people in real life you say.
It's like you are putting your fingers in your ears and don't want to know, I'm sorry to say.
It's very sad because there are also children caught up in it.
Stay strong but open your eyes and ears.

Notgnillew · 06/08/2023 14:57

RandomForest · 06/08/2023 14:55

This.

Exactly. It's very suspicious that her husband is out of the picture and has no involvement. I think they are having an affair right under your nose, OP.

TankFlyBossW4lk · 06/08/2023 14:58

Without wanting to hurt you further, I just wanted to add that the fact that her relationship with her own husband is wanting maybe because he has realised that she's emotionally unavailable to him.

Honestly, she's not your friend. She's only his friend. He's an absolute sod. But she's facilitating his dick behaviour. It's utterly inappropriate of her to watch the sunset with him and I would feel really excluded if "my friend" was having a midnight conversation in their room with my husband. Did you sleep with him on holiday?

whynotwhatknot · 06/08/2023 14:58

if my friend said she was upset with me spending time with her dh then she'd stop

this friend isnt stopping is she

EmmaBridgewaterMugs · 06/08/2023 14:58

JudgeRudy · 06/08/2023 14:55

I get this makes you feel uncomfortable. I actually don't think they're having an affair though I'd say he does have feelings towards her and vice versa. The fact that she's female does complicate issues as there could be a physical attraction however I think this is more about you not feeling like you're his number one priority. Let's say it was his male friend, and eg he stayed with you over Xmas. Initially you might like the fact that your child thought he was good fun and your husband was animated and 'alive'...but if he kept taking about 'the match' or buggering off into the mancave for a beer and a game of cod till midnight you'd be annoyed. I think it's the same thing, except he's unlikely to have sex with his mate!
This isn't about sex, it's about intimacy and boundaries. You're feeling like the third person in your own relationship. Why not suggest you and friend go off znd do something on your own. Leave him with the kids. Ask her if she'd mind staying in with the kids so you two can have a couples meal. Present it as X has kindly offered to babysit....saw a lovely restaurant i know youd like. Gauge his reaction. Forget about her for a moment. Does he actually want to spend time with you. If you manage to get out as a couple see what you've got to talk about. I know a couple who often have friends round for meals etc, go to the pub in groups, holidays too. On the surface it seems like the friends get in the way of them veing a couple but I honestly think it's the friends that hold them together. Their own relationship seems purely functional. They brush along OK and both respect each other and have no plans to separate but they're not in love anymore if they ever were. There son has just left home.iyll be o threshing to see how it pans out. Could this be you two?

I disagree.

OriginalUsername2 · 06/08/2023 14:59

You’re not being respected by either of these people. Sunset together without you?! They’re taking you for a mug and they’ve normalised it.

AuntMarch · 06/08/2023 14:59

My best friend is a guy, I get really pissed off when people say men and women can't just be friends.. I still don't think how your husband is behaving is ok.

Not because they are friends, but because of how he treats you

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