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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

Friend getting cosy with my ex…AIBU?

220 replies

AmonRa1 · 09/02/2015 09:50

I was seeing my ex, casually, on and off since 2009. It ended for good last year when I finally woke up, got some self-respect and ditched him. I did love him though, a lot, would’ve done anything for him and I think a small part of me will always have a soft spot for him but he treated me appallingly and meeting my now OH has totally shown me what a real, loving relationship SHOULD be like.

Anyway, when I first got with my OH, ex couldn’t stand it and was literally bombarding me with texts/phone calls/whatsapps etc begging me to give him another chance, he realised he’d been an idiot, I was the girl he wanted to marry, blah, blah, blah. I stopped responding and so he started messaging one of my close friends asking her to speak to me, to tell me he’s sorry, get me to ‘see sense’ (arrogant so and so) blah, blah.

Ex and I do share some of the same friends, although, tbh, to me, they are more like acquaintances. The past couple of months, my friends and I have been out on a Saturday night and have bumped into him due to him and us all being with the same people, in the same pubs/ bars etc. He and I have been fine, we have a drink and a chat but that’s it.

ANYWAY, my close friend that he started messaging that time, asking her to speak to me on his behalf, told me the other week that he had messaged her on FB after she had ‘checked in’ at his local pub on FB asking why she didn’t tell him she was there as he would’ve gone down and had a drink with her?! She said it very blaze, like that was a completely normal thing for him to do. I wanted to ask why he was messaging her and did she message him back but just kept schtum.

He has told me before in passing that he thinks she’s ‘fit’ (she is) and he is stupidly handsome and the majority of females aren’t exactly immune to his charm!

A few weeks ago she ‘checked in’ again at his local pub on FB (which is a bit weird as it’s nowhere near where she lives but she has recently palled up with a girl who lives near him and that is her local too, so fair enough) and when I saw it, I wondered whether he’d be messaging her again or whether the ‘check in’ was for his benefit as she very rarely uses FB/ does check in’s etc so it’s a bit odd. She’s also started to get a bit obsessed with hanging around with the same people as him, so those acquaintances that I mentioned in my 3rd paragraph, if we are out she is constantly saying ‘Let’s text so and so and see what they’re doing and where they are.’ Or she’ll text me before the weekend saying ‘So and so are going to be at the rugby club on Sat, shall we go and watch the match and go out with them after?’ I’m really not bothered to be honest as the majority of them irritate me and she has never been bothered about them or ever wanted to give them the time of day before?

ANYWAY, I haven’t seen her for a couple of weeks as I’ve been on holiday and work has been manic. She came over last night and in the middle of a conversation, casually managed to drop in how ‘A couple of weeks ago her and XXX (her friend) were down his local again and my ex came down to meet them and they all got really drunk and he invited them both back to his to stay the night, which they did…..in the spare room.’

At the time, I felt like she’d slapped me but I acted nonchalant and didn’t say anything, however when she left, I felt really upset. My OH noticed and asked what was up and so I told him and his first words were ‘Well that’s a bit off to be honest as she doesn’t even know him, only through you and even that’s not very well and why do you need to know that she’s getting drunk with him and staying around his house?’

And that’s exactly how I feel. I KNOW I am with someone else, him and I are history so it shouldn’t matter but this man was my utter world for a very long time. She is one of my best friends and in general, is a BRILLIANT friend. I just can’t help but think something is going on somewhere. They don’t know each other from Adam, apart from through me and I only really introduced them to each other in the last few months of him and I’s relationship, so that is only about a year ago. In that time they’ve probably met a handful of times when we’ve bumped into him out and about. She ‘dislikes’ him (like the rest of my friends) for how he treated me whilst we were together etc. Although obviously not, because she’s now getting drunk with him and staying over at his house.

He doesn’t do female ‘friends’ he only gives someone the time of day if he finds them attractive (shallow git) so I know his intentions would not have been honourable. I just don’t get how she thought I was going to react, am I expected to be doing cartwheels that one of my best friends is now spending time with my ex and staying over at his house? If they were friends before then that would be different, but they don’t know each other at all?

I feel like I need to speak to her about it and say that if anything were to happen there, I’m sorry, but I could not forgive her. Out of all the men in the world that is the ONE man that I couldn’t forgive one of my friends for going behind my back with and I shouldn’t even have to say that as she should know. Also, I have spoken to her every day in the past 2 weeks and not once has she mentioned that she stayed over at his. I have also spoken to him too a few times as his dog (who was my world when we were together) had a fit, fell down the stairs and ended up at the vets very ill. He was devastated and just wanted to talk to someone I think and I am the only other person who loves her like he does. Not once did he mention it either yet if I had stayed around her exes’ house or had his best friend randomly stay over at mine, I think I’d have mentioned it!

Irrespective of anything else, he is bad news. She is younger than me and without meaning to be patronising, quite naïve when it comes to relationships and men. She would get SO hurt, just like I did, just like all his ex’s have, hence why he’s 36 and on his own!

Should I speak to her do you think?

OP posts:
DistanceCall · 10/02/2015 12:31

PrivatePike I know! Grin

AmantesSuntAmentes · 10/02/2015 12:43

If your ex happens to be doing this to wind you up, op, you're playing right into his hands by threatening to ditch your friend. I.e., you're still allowing him to manipulate your feelings and your life.

The only way to regain control of your feelings, is to cut them off, as far as he's concerned. You owe it to yourselp and your new dp, to completely move on.

Your friend's choice to (possibly) become involved with him, is a separate issue and it is really up to you, whether you find it disrespectful or not. The exes of my friends and I are out of bounds, not necessarily out of respect but out of common sense - they are all arses!

Twinklestein · 10/02/2015 12:51

I didn't say a paraphrase was an objective summary, Distance although I'm aware textual accuracy is not your strong point.

I'm equally well aware what paraphrase means and don't require an online dictionary definition.

We're stuck with the observation that your interpretation was not actually supported by the text, and you still have not been able to justify it.

PrivatePike · 10/02/2015 12:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pictish · 10/02/2015 13:01

Is this the right room for a seminar on labouring the point?

Twinklestein · 10/02/2015 13:03

OP I really don't think you should feel like you should have to come back to justify yourself.

The posters antagonising you here know nothing about you and they don't give a shit about you. They're just getting off on kicking you to cheer themselves up.

It's all rather tabloid.

Twinklestein · 10/02/2015 13:03

It's apparently the right room for internet fuckwittery.

AmonRa1 · 10/02/2015 13:04

I fear you're right Twinkle. Thank you for trying to see things from my POV though, it's appreciated!

OP posts:
Twinklestein · 10/02/2015 13:08

No worries, I'm glad you had a good chat with your friend.

gatewalker · 10/02/2015 13:11

For fucks' sake. If I read one more post where people are seen as possessions, I think I'm going to puke.

OP, what's both amazing and hard as fuck is that we are free to do what we like - in spite of what our unspoken moral and social codes tell us. You're free to say what you want to your friend, and your friend is free to see your ex. If you don't want to see her again because of that, then a-okay. But to be angry with her about exercising her freedom. That's your anger there, and it has nothing to do with her.

AmonRa1 · 10/02/2015 13:13

Wow- you talk about my anger Wink

OP posts:
DistanceCall · 10/02/2015 13:26

Twinklestein, read my lips: I was PARAPHRASING.

And funny you should mention textual accuracy, when you didn't realise that the OP had actually, textually described the filthy ex as "my utter world".

flounces off and takes her PhD credentials with her

BartholomewCrouch · 10/02/2015 13:33

OP, you talk about it being 'too raw' now, which I am afraid does indicate (along with the level of emotion this creates in you) that you have not yet fully dealt with your emotions for your ex.

I once had a friend start going out with an ex a year after we broke up. He had been very significant to me, but at this time I had now met my Dh to be and was happy.

YES I was put out and a little miffed about their new relationship, I did feel a bit 'oh well just forget about me then everyone'. But I did not say this out aloud to anyone and did not dwell on these thoughts, as I recognised it was unreasonable as we were definitely finished, they were both single, and I had a new partner.

So, I understand you feeling a bit upset and needing to adjust to get your head round this, but honestly the level of emotion you express, your outrage and hurt indicate that your feelings are much less clear cut here than you claim.

That is what everyone is seeing, and what is very probably evident to your partner and friend if you are expressing this in real life too.

VanitasVanitatum · 10/02/2015 13:34

Whether or not you are jealous, the point is you seem jealous. That's all anyone can really say. If your DP doesn't think that you are jealous then it's all good.

Presumably you won't care that your ex thinks you're jealous, because he will.

It's not ideal of your friend to become close to someone who treated you badly, however she has clearly got a (terribly mature) crush on him, and so is just ignoring all that she knows about his nature.

Given that you have told her how you feel, I would personally now step out of the situation and wait til she comes back having been treated as badly by him as you were. Then, because she's human and you understand how strong the draw of this horrible man is, I would forgive her and help pick up the pieces.

Twinklestein · 10/02/2015 13:53

I'm well aware OP used the phrase 'my world' Distance, you need to read my post more carefully. What I said was that it wasn't used in the passage you quoted to justify your interpretation; nor were any of the other terms you used, which didn't appear in the main text either.

I can paraphrase Hamlet's 'To be' speech as 'I need a piss' but without support from the text it's meaningless.

I'm not insecure about academic credentials so I've no need to drop mine.

PrivatePike · 10/02/2015 13:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BrendaBlackhead · 10/02/2015 14:00

Whether the ex and the friend get together or not, the OP is playing with fire regarding her current "OH" as she calls him.

If a boyfriend of mine told me this, I may well make sympathetic noises, but I'd be thinking that he clearly was still in love with the ex and as for me - not so much.

The fact that OP is also talking to real life friends and the friend herself about this also will indicate to everyone where her heart lies.

DistanceCall · 10/02/2015 14:02

PrivatePike Grin

PrivatePike · 10/02/2015 14:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Twinklestein · 10/02/2015 14:40

Ah the flouncer is back for an encore.

shovetheholly · 10/02/2015 14:48

I have never wanted a facepalm smiley so badly.

grocklebox · 10/02/2015 14:53

"I DONT CARE WHO HE SEES, I DONT CARE IF HE HAS A GF, HE COULD BE WITH FLIPPING MARIAH CAREY FOR ALL I CARE, JUST NOT ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS."

You realise this is a contradiction though? You DO care who he sees, you're going doolally because of who he is seeing. Are you terribly confused ?

nilbyname · 10/02/2015 14:54

My best friend hooked up with the ex of his room mate.
The girl had been engaged he dumped her she was single for a few months when my mate got together with Her. His roommate was with someone new, but jeeeeeeez he was so upset.

Fast forward a few years. My friend and said girl are married with a baby.

Pissed off roommate has gotten used to it.

It's just so weird to feel put out about it. Why should you issue your friend with an ultimatum- you CAN hook up with him, but I wont like you anymore.

Here's a grip!

PrivatePike · 10/02/2015 14:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Twinklestein · 10/02/2015 15:18

Et tu Pike.

I don't like posters who get off on kicking people who ask for advice.

You 3 seem desperate for the last word, so go for it.

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