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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Finally slept with love of my life and think my heart is going to be broken

675 replies

ButWhyIsTheGinGone · 24/03/2012 09:16

Am devastated. This is long I'm afraid...
I've loved this man for four years. He lives in my town but we're from the same village orginally. He's 17 years older than me but in many ways my best friend and we are very similar. He works all over the world in patches - last year he was away probably about 20 weeks, so when he's here we spend a lot of time together.

I think he's always known how I feel about him, but he's never taken advantage, never embarassed me and has made comments indicating the age difference between us is an issue for him. But we've always had a very friendly, bickery relationship and our friends and his family jokingly call us a married old couple.

Thursday evening he returns home from abroad and we arrange to meet up in local pub with lots of mutual friends. He's in a really bright, jokey mood and at one point when our friends' attentions where on someone else, he told me he'd been talking with work colleagues about being away and love, etc. He said it was like a lightbulb moment and realised I was his soulmate and he loved me. I also applied recently for a job which would have meant eventually moving away and I think this made him stop and think. He's packing in the working away later this year so settling down aorund here. I couldn't respond cos my stomach was doing knots and I was half scared it was a horrible joke.

We left and walked to pub near my house and had a gin and tonic and he asked if he could come back to mine. I said yes, knowing what it would lead to, and it did. Not going to go into deep detail (it's early!) but we spent a lot of time talking, telling each other we loved each other, kissing, cuddling, and then yes, other stuff. It was the most open and honest and actually best sexual experience I've ever had. (Yes I KNOW how lame that sounds.) He said at one point this reason this was so great is that it was sex and love together, and I told him I'd never actually had that. (True.) He left as I had an early start the next day, and I went to bed the happiest person ever.

He made no contact yesterday at all. I sent him a cheerful good morning text and then in the afternoon a quick one to say I was popping into pub on way home if he fancied a quick drink. No response. I begin panicking. I rang a very good female mutual friend of ours and explained, swearing her to secrecy.) She was really excited for us, but said he's probably panicking about it and, knowing him as she does, scared of being rejected. So I text him before I went to bed saying I really meant everything I'd said last night and hope we can talk soon but it's up to him.

What has happened? Part of me is angry and thinks if he just wanted a quick fuck, why say the love and soulmates bits, and WHY WITH ME? But most of me is just gutted and wants to cry. I don't know what to do. I know this problem isn't as serious as many, but I feel like a major thing in my life has just been pulled away. Any words of advice/comfort will probs make me bawl, but will be appreciated.

OP posts:
BrightnessFalls · 26/03/2012 00:43

Would we have listened to anyone back in the day? I doubt it!! We would just bore our friends with the drama of it all, I fear it is too late for the OP. it was the minute she slept with him the first time. We've been sounding like broken records for 19 pages and it all fell on deaf ears.

pinkyp · 26/03/2012 00:45

So sorry for you op. been there op will feel incontrol & that things are on her terms, the bloke however now knows she's desperately in love with him & can call her for a quick fuck when he fancys. I hope op can see this before it's too late and really gets her heart broken Sad

squeakytoy · 26/03/2012 00:46

He rang and you went running. Big mistake. :(

fuckwittery · 26/03/2012 00:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

blowcushion · 26/03/2012 01:13

OP - This all seems a bit odd! You watched the Scottish football (k.o. 1'o'clock) and then received a text message inviting you for a g & t. You downed your pint and then went to your local to meet the love of your life! Presumably, you had some conversation before you finished your drinks and legged it for some horizontal and OTK friendship after stopping off at the Co-op. You must have decided that you were ready to get into the sack with him pretty quickly as the store would have closed at 4. Maybe alcohol played a major part here, in which case the "love of your life" is laughing as he didn't have to splash out much money in getting you into a receptive and willing mode!

ThursdayStrawberries · 26/03/2012 02:16

I've name-changed for this as it will come across as a massive not-so-stealth boast and it's not something I really want my usual MN nickname to be associated with.

I have somehow managed to reach the grand old age of 38 without ever having been dumped. I've had a few relationships and a few more flings back in my misspent youth. I have one ex-husband and lived with one other boyfriend. I broke up with all of them, and on top of that I've had several men that I never actually got together with declare undying love for me, one of whom remains single to this day and who made it clear (14 years ago now) he will wait for me for as long as it takes (he is lovely, just lovely, but unfortunately for him he will be waiting a long time as I am happily married with two children. Interestingly, he is 12 years older than me). He remains single at 50.

This is not something I talk about with anyone - not my best friend of 33 years, and not even my husband. It's not the sort of thing you go round talking about unless you have a planet-sized ego, which actually, I don't.

That's my background and I thought it bore a brief outline, as I have read through this thread becoming more and more incredulous - at every turn you have handled this in the exact opposite way I would have and it has been really quite enlightening from my own perspective.

Just for the record, I am not amazing looking (in spite of what some of these men have said to me; I am not deluded enough to believe everything I'm told) - I am pretty with a good sense of humour, gregarious and social. I am nice (dull, huh?). In short, nothing special, really. The one thing I am extremely lucky never to have had any issues with is my self-esteem. I thank my lovely parents for that.

I read a book when I was a young teenager - impressionable and on the cusp of adulthood. I'd never kissed a boy, let alone slept with one. This book resonated with me massively. It's one everyone has heard of, and most people have read. Pride and Prejudice. Have you read it Gin? If so, do you remember anything about the heroine, Lizzie Bennett? Not really the sort of feminist icon that I would have imagine for myself, but life is full of surprises. :)

She was proposed to by a man supposedly well out of her league... But of course she had such a rock-solid sense of her own self she that knew inherently that he most certainly wasn't out of her league; that in fact, he didn't even come close to deserving her and she let him know that in no uncertain terms. He then went to huge lengths to endeavour to deserve her, and in the process lost some of his less appealing traits and became a better person in his quest to be worthy of her.

It didn't even occur to her to accept his proposal on the original terms because she knew inherently that she deserved better. The best, even. I loved that, as a 13-year old. Grin I thought that was absolutely fucking brilliant and made a mssive mental note in my brain to emulate that sort of behaviour in my adult life.

As I say, I am very, very lucky to have a healthy self-esteem to base such a decision on, in the first place. Very lucky. I know only too easily how this can be damaged, even when you're fortunate enough to come from a happy, stable family. One bad man in your formative years can be enough to cause irreparable damage. So I can see that it was likely much easier for me than it might be for others to inherently believe in myself, see red flags easily for what they are, and basically, just not to drop everything and go running for some nobody who snaps his fingers.

I cannot imagine having an amazing, lovely happiness-filled night like you had, then being ignored for 2 or 3 days, receiving a booty call, and immediately ditching my friends and running off to fulfil said call. This is anathaema to me.

I am not a game-player. Likewise, I have never had games played on me.

I guess all I am trying to say is that you, me, every single one of us, men and women deserve to be treated with respect in our exchanges with other people. If we don't get this, we need to walk away. It is so important to do this. On the one hand, it is a virtuous circle - you walk away, you do the right thing by yourself, you feel good for doing that, it boosts your self-esteem and makes you more and more able the next time to do it again.

On the other hand, it lets the other person know that you just do not tolerate being dicked around. So, they either move on to someone else (their loss), or they step up to the plate. And I don't mean just the once. I mean consistently. They walk the walk, they don't just talk the talk.

You deserve this, Gin. I know we all need to make our own mistakes - it simply doesn't resonate when others make them and then share their experiences. But this whole encounter, this man - it has red flags all over it. I really hope some of what everyone is saying on here sinks in and you find a way of moving on from this and freeing yourself up for a Good Man in your life. Because I have a very strong feeling that the longer you stick around this guy (on his terms, natch) the more your self-esteem will erode and the less you'll believe that you do deserve so much better than him.

I'm not saying he's a bad person. But he doesn't really sound like the lovely, caring, decent sort of man that you deserve. There are loads of these sorts of men out there, loads - I can personally vouch for that, as that's been pretty much been my whole experience of men. Why not free yourself up for one of them? What's the harm in it?! You're young - make the most of these years; don't waste them on someone like this.

Good luck with it all. :)

Psychobabbler · 26/03/2012 02:40

Thursday strawbs - you are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO RIGHT. Best post ever.

aurynne · 26/03/2012 02:52

So.. let me see if I get this right. He was the love of your life. You had been in love with him for 4 years. One day he sleeps with you and tells you all sort of lovey-dovey things, and you respond, and you both make plans to be together forever and ever. Then he leaves you and ignores you for 2 days. But then he texts you again, you get drunk, he fucks you the ass, and suddenly everything is great and you're not in love with him anymore.

The moral of this story: if you are deeply in love with a guy, let him fuck you in the ass. You will be cured and then can go on to being friends.

Makes sense to me...

BrightnessFalls · 26/03/2012 03:33

He's 17 years older the you and smacks you on the bum like a naughty school girl? Where's the dignity in that? He went for you because no 46 year old woman would lower herself to lie accross a mans knee, after Afew ciders. In that respect, he did choose you. He's no prize, though.

dreamingbohemian · 26/03/2012 03:35

Yeesh, Thursday, good advice but really, is there any need for so much not-so-stealth boasting?

Plenty of people have good self-esteem and still get dumped sometimes. Just sayin. You might want to factor luck into that equation of yours.

I've been dumped, I've been with fuckwits, and so what? I still ended up with a lovely husband in the end.

It's not the end of the world, associating with fuckwits, as long as you learn from it. Sooner rather than later, that's all I'm saying.

fridakahlo · 26/03/2012 03:42

I think OP meant spanked rather than fucked, though really what she was referring to is irrelevent anyway.
Gentle ladies who have been there, can we all agree in the OP's shoes we would not have listened to sense either? But that looking back on the fuckwittery we really wish that we had?
Gin, I have alarm bells ringing so loudly, it is deafening.
Without the dom intentions, I would have a slight trilling noise but with them...well I have had my fair share of attraction to men who are that way inclined, mainly because I am inclined towards the opposite role, and what it has taught me is that they can be master minupuliators.
If you are not very very careful, he will have you dangling on a string and stretching your boundaries beyond what you could believe possible.
He's already done it once and there is no reason it could not happen again.
Take care X

ThatVikRinA22 · 26/03/2012 04:28

Read this after waking with nightmares. I'm still asleep aren't I? Still having a nightmare, surely?

HillyWallaby · 26/03/2012 05:01

PMSL at Aurynne. Grin

I am desperate to know who ThursdayStrawberries is now. Great post.

As for the rest....at least we know why he is still single now. He sounds like a nightmare. He managed to get turned on well enough without any kinky spanking the first time - perhaps he has a similar need/fetish about telling people he loves them? Can he only get a hard-on when he is having some sort of control over you? He didn't waste any time in introducing you to all this did he?

Was there any mention of LOVE this time OP? Because if there wasn't then it is all highly, highly dubious. He is reeling you in like a sucker.

I am starting to think you are perhaps quite inexperienced in relationships and have blown his interest in you out of all proportion. You describe him as the love of your life, but it is seeming like more of a schoolgirl crush. But perhaps that is the love of your life. Either way, I think in a few years time you'll look back on this and the penny will drop.

optimal · 26/03/2012 05:19

ime? It's so easy to confuse love & lust: when we fall in love - or lust! - the brain releases chemicals which act like amphetamines, giving that wonderful intense exciting high. (wikipedia on love - biological basis). Also, semen is a mood lifter - like an anti-depressant - heightening that exciting high!
The higher you climb the harder you fall ? & if we go running back at every text, the highs & lows can really screw us up, again & again.
I think you'd need to be incredibly strong to walk away & let go of those feelings so fast, & might be in for a prolonged period of highs & lows, getting mucked about & not getting your emotional needs met?.
Keep your options open, get yourself a copy of "Why Mars & Venus Collide" by John Gray. Good luck.

LovesBeingWearingSkinnyJeans · 26/03/2012 06:04

ThursdayStrawberries - I wonder what on earth your usual persona is and why on earth you do not want this post linked to it. What you have described is exactly how I want my daughter to feel, never to settle for less than she deserves. Now I just need to figure out how to do it in tge right balance.

LovesBeingWearingSkinnyJeans · 26/03/2012 06:09

Op well tge mills and boon ending has come crashing down in more ways than one.

I'm a little unsure how you can have done nothing you didn't want too and yet feel you can no longer love him. What the hell did he want you to do? It does seem to have completely changed your view of him and cured your crush though.

FarBetterNow · 26/03/2012 06:21

Ok S & M. Sorry, my writing isn't as eloquent as others on here, but my please listen to us all.

I met my ex husband when I was 17. He was into PVC, plastic, rubber and later on cross dressing. I was liberal thinking and thought it was all fine. Initially, I thought I enjoyed dressing up and seeing him get turned on. I got turned on because he was turned on.

But we NEVER, ever had the sex that I wanted, you know - loving, gentle skin to skin.
Never, never ever.
Sex always, ALWAYS involved dressing up PVC, plastic.

That means it was always about him.
I gave and he took.

Always.

We eventually divorced when we were 50.

I am still happily single.

What a waste of my life, but I do have a wonderful DD and grandchildren.

Gin - just don't do it.
He is using you.

Bucharest · 26/03/2012 06:44

Just adding to the Hmms and working out how many times I refreshed this thread over the w/e.

I don't think troll. I do think a carefully worded OP to drag us all in.

Whatever.

(Don't quite get the relevance of Strawberry's post at all)

FarBetterNow · 26/03/2012 07:06

Blowcushion: Smaller Coops don't close at 16.00pm on Sundays. They are classed as corner shops. My local Coop closes at 22.00pm on a Sunday.

hattifattner · 26/03/2012 07:08

OP, please now go and promise yourself that you will not text him. He will be waiting for a confirmation that you are OK with the S&M thing, and that will effectively define your relationship from here on. Any text to him now says "well, that was OK, I can accept having my arse spanked" (or whatever) - even if its just a "Good morning".

SO do not contact him unless you want that. What is on offer from him is not romantic love and a happy ever after. Your botty is on the line here.

ANd have an answer ready for when he makes a booty call next weekend. Like "Sorry, your sexual preferences are not my cup of tea. Im worth so much more than being your kinky sex fuckbuddy."

He may even text you this week, but please dont respond. Radio SIlence. You need to restore the balance in your "relationship", and take back some control.

Because fuckbuddy is all you will ever be. If he was seriously in love with you, do you not think he would have "courted" you over the last 4 years...even a little bit? Have you had that lovely snogging and hand holding phase? Have you had the long walk and fireside drink phase? What about the grand passion, cant wait to get back to you with breakfast in bed and more shagging phase. Why not? You are confusing his lust for romantic love because he's whispered all sorts of romantic post coital nonsense in your ear and now he thinks you are the S type.

He has been a Very. Naughty. Boy. ANd you have been foolish, through a misguided need for love.

You dont say if you have had other relationships in the 4 years youve known him. Maybe you need to get out there and start dating and activly looking for your happy ever after.

COnsider too how this might end with YOUR mates - he gets annoyed because you wont be spanked and he gets to brag about your compliance and how he did you every which way. They will also lose respect for you.

Flightty · 26/03/2012 07:25

Oh dear.

LovesBeingWearingSkinnyJeans · 26/03/2012 07:26

Ok I don't know how the coop got dragged into this but I was in a coop yesterday at 4:15 (emergency ice cream cause it was so nice out)

ToothbrushThief · 26/03/2012 07:35

OP -you need to stop thinking you're in a romantic book....

Wake up and get real. Some old* bloke just used you.
Worse....you encouraged him.

(*I say this as an old woman who'd never treat a 'boy' of 27 in the same callous way)

Chandon · 26/03/2012 07:43

Strawbs,

My heroine was Elizabeth Bennett too!!!

(and Jo from Little Women but she should have ended up with Laurie Sad)

Rhinosaurus · 26/03/2012 08:14

I am the person who said the op and the soulmate should both grow up, to which she responded I must be a delight. Actually I had also had several units of alcohol on Saturday which was rather delightful, but even through my wine goggles I was quite incredulous this was a thread about a 27 year old and a 44 year old and not teenagers.

After reading the op's response of "fuck right off" to a well meaning poster Haziedoll, I would like to tell her she is a delight also.

If you really were soulmates, he would have had more respect for you and not treated you this way. This is a classic case of grooming.