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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

Very complicated Situation - FWB/ Friend/ Ex - Need advice please!

215 replies

sheryl77 · 22/05/2019 14:43

I’ve been ‘seeing’ a guy since last August who was my ex 17 years ago (we were together for four years). We meet every few weeks for sex (he’s in between two countries) and both agreed it would be fun, no commitment (I’m just in the process of getting divorced and he’s been recently hurt).

When we are together, its amazing..great sex, we talk, he confides, he spends the night (he asks to stay), we are literally on the floor laughing when we are together. When we are not having sex, he’s always initiating cuddles in bed at night and in the morning randomly holding my head up to kiss me like a boyfriend (albeit, he’s not). He’s asked me out for brunch the last time we meet and I declined as wasn’t ready to ‘step outside’ with him.

As it’s casual, I am guessing he is seeing other people (I am not as have no time and not one to shag multiple men). Anyway, he uses a condom on and off…I ask him everytime and I know it takes two, but last time he didn’t use one at all despite me asking… (Yes, I know I should respect my body and I should of insisted!).

I sent him a text a week after we met saying I think he’s seeing other woman and to please respect me by wearing a condom. Also be good to know if he has a girlfriend as I don’t want problems! He texted back saying ‘Can’t be acting like your boyfriend, I’m not! (with the nickname he calls me). I responded asking him if he thinks I think of him as a boyfriend (!?) and that I just asked him to practise safe sex that’s all and this feels like its becoming complicated and if this was not fun anymore, we’d better say goodbye….He hasn’t responded in 3 days…

He’s done this awful ‘silent treatment’ before and we end up meeting again…we kind of go through stages where we feel we shouldn’t see each other anymore (I think its because we both freak out we’re getting close or maybe I’m reading too much into things?).

He’s very complicated and I know from being with him previously, when he fears being hurt, he shuts down.

I’m giving him space and won’t contact him again, but can anyone fathom why he’s acted like this? Perhaps he didn’t want to be honest and say he had so deflecting it back on me? I started seeing him when I was having a marriage breakdown and I was always honest with him but if seems he can’t give me the same respect!!

I think I know the answer but I think I need to let this guy go? I don’t need any pain, but the sex is amazing and I do like him as a person (but defo not for long term). I know he likes me as a person, so I don’t know why he acts like this. He told me before he shuts down as its like a self defence thing.

What do you think? Please be gentle as don’t think I can take harsh words on this.

Anyone have similar experiences? Is this a fuck buddy/ friends with benefits or just too bloody complicated?

Thank you x

OP posts:
Moralitym1n1 · 22/05/2019 22:09

*due

sheryl77 · 22/05/2019 22:13

Yes so this weekend I’m going out for drinks and dinner then a bit of dancing with friends! Then doing some yoga and beauty treatments I think! Time for ME

OP posts:
Moralitym1n1 · 22/05/2019 22:13

Yep. She just walked out apparently.

I wonder why Hmm.

A friend of mine knows her and she’s now a lesbian

Oh fk that's hilarious!

Unemployed & on benefits, so he probably lives abroad cause it's cheaper than the UK. Unemployed and in benefits for any period of time at 45 yes of age, is no a good look (illness aside).

sheryl77 · 22/05/2019 22:14

I really don’t want anyone for a very long time. My focus now is my son and my career. I don’t trust anyone now.

OP posts:
Moralitym1n1 · 22/05/2019 22:14

*not a good look

Moralitym1n1 · 22/05/2019 22:15

Good thing he was a decent shag, because he's not bringing anything else to the table, is he

sheryl77 · 22/05/2019 22:16

Indeed and she’s with a woman that looks like a man who is the same ethnicity as me. Bit freaky. This is why if freaked out about his sexual past as god knows where he’s been and with who!

Yep he’s 45 and in between here and Europe. He’s claiming benefits as ‘disabled’. Everything works perfectly fine during sex! Hmm

OP posts:
sheryl77 · 22/05/2019 22:17

Not attractive is it. I don’t know why I found him so hot! It was the sex. Like a drug. I’m way better than him! Looks wise, I’m educated and know how to treat people!

OP posts:
Moralitym1n1 · 22/05/2019 22:17

I don’t trust anyone now.

Why, cause he's a dickhead?

Everyone's not him.

In saying that, time out will do you good. Take your time and enjoy your life, when the time is right you can be open to meeting someone - with a sensible, judgemental head on your shoulders.

sheryl77 · 22/05/2019 22:18

The thing is I had so much fun with him. Outside of shagging we were rolling around laughing when we were together. I’ll miss that too :-(

OP posts:
sheryl77 · 22/05/2019 22:20

I let him into my home and my life without a second thought and really I knew he would hurt me again. My ex husband hit me in front of my son last April and I have really bad self esteem issues now. Really bad

OP posts:
category12 · 22/05/2019 22:22

Counselling and the Freedom programme?

sheryl77 · 22/05/2019 22:22

You ladies are amazing.. thank you for taking time out of your evening to post x

OP posts:
Moralitym1n1 · 22/05/2019 22:23

Indeed and she’s with a woman that looks like a man who is the same ethnicity as me

I had to read that twice.

As an aside I've never gotten why women come out as lesbians and then get with 'butch' women - do they want a masculine looking person but not with a dick - anyway he sounds like a benefits fraudster.
He just gets worse and worse.

sheryl77 · 22/05/2019 22:23

I’ll look into this. I def need counselling for my divorce anyway

OP posts:
sheryl77 · 22/05/2019 22:24

I know.....

His ex may of been bisexual who knows....

Just freaked me out as they’re both shagging the same type of ‘woman’...if she is a woman..looks like but could have a dick! Who knows. Freaked out

OP posts:
Moralitym1n1 · 22/05/2019 22:25

we were rolling around laughing when we were together. I’ll miss that too

Of course you would - but it came as part of a shitty package that was causing you hurt, and also - you can get that with someone else in future.

Moralitym1n1 · 22/05/2019 22:27

My ex husband hit me in front of my son last April and I have really bad self esteem issues now. Really bad
Sad

That's a reflection on your ex husband, not you.

ReanimatedSGB · 22/05/2019 22:28

Try to remember that in a few years' time you will be able to laugh at this. It will feel like this

Moralitym1n1 · 22/05/2019 22:30

Counseling or perhaps you could even start another thread about it and how it has affected you. It seems like quite a number of MNers have experienced violence from partners and it might be really useful to see if they've deal with it and how, what helped them etc.

Moralitym1n1 · 22/05/2019 22:39

Good thing he was a decent shag, because he's not bringing anything else to the table, is he

Actually to be honest the sex wasn’t that great last week. He came within 2 minutes! Not fun!!

Ok, I take back the decent shag thing; so he wasn't bringing anything to the table apart from a bit of fun/a laugh & which no doubt you were sorely in need of after a presumably miserable, tense period because of your ex husband. It's totally understandable, but you've seen now it doesn't work for you,band you've seen through him. He's a middle aged, unemployed, benefit fraudster, premature ejaculating, not particularly attractive looking bloke with a failed/dysfunctional relationship history ... who's turned the only woman he's been long-term with lesbian (Wink) .....

sheryl77 · 22/05/2019 22:40

Good idea I will thank you x

OP posts:
sheryl77 · 22/05/2019 22:43

Ha ha! God love it! It was good our last shag fest wasn’t the best but that was the only one...the rest were amazing. I’ll just focus on the last memory now though!

OP posts:
sheryl77 · 22/05/2019 22:44

The hilarious thing is I put in his birthday vas congratulations on being middle aged! It was meant as joke! Ha ha ha

OP posts:
ThatCurlyGirl · 22/05/2019 22:52

Yes so this weekend I’m going out for drinks and dinner then a bit of dancing with friends! Then doing some yoga and beauty treatments I think! Time for ME

Yay! See you'll be to busy doing stuff for you to think about him. I reckon challenge yourself to do a week of no contact and no checking his status / activity etc and having had that little bit of distance from him taking up your headspace, the fog will have lifted x