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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

How do we fix this?

144 replies

roses910 · 01/01/2022 17:42

So I started seeing my bf in May this year and it was great for about 2 and a half months. He had briefly told me about this girl (we'll call her Jessica) when we first started, I was fine okay with it because everytime he mentioned her, he kept saying they met a while back and nothing happened, they're just good friends. My definition of "a while back" is about 6-8 months ago but his is about 2 months ago. June came round and it's my bf's birthday and he tells me Jessica sent him a flirty comment and he tells her that his gf wouldn't appreciate that; this is when Jessica finds out about me. All this time I knew about Jessica but Jessica didn't even know my bf was dating let alone in a relationship with me. My bf is confused but lets it slide because she doesn't want to talk about it. July comes round and my bf reminds me that Jessica is coming to our town to see him and I'm surprised because I completely forgotten that he had briefly mentioned it the start of June and I thought they left it on a weird note, I tell him this but I'm like I trust you. I go on a trip out of town with my family and she visits on the days I'm out of town. He posts pictures and videos of them at an underground romantic italian restaurant that I had taken him on his birthday because he had never been there before, he had never posted me on his story, all of this made me upset. I tell him about my discomfort the next evening and I thought he invited his friend to hang out with them to ease my discomfort but this was later told to me to change up the environment for Jessica because my bf felt distant from her. Jessica leaves and I'm back from my trip. I have a dream where my bf is cheating on me with Jessica and there's a bouquet of sunflowers and roses in there. Ever since this dream, I have very bad discomfort with my bf and Jessica's friendship. I learn more and more about their relationship, how they were recent, nothing physical happened between them but they did have feelings for each other at one point. After a month and a half of breakdowns, I'm done, I feel like I've been piecing together a lot of things instead of just being told from the start the whole story about my bf and Jessica so after a lot of convincing, I tell my bf to go talk to her. And that's when he even finds out that she still had feelings for him and he ends their friendship. (He now understands my point of view on this and how it was an emotional affair, we both agree that it's a level of cheating)

Skip forward to November, I'm still hurt by my bf dismissing my feelings as just jealousy and not doing anything to ease my discomfort, he didn't think I should know that Jessica didn't know about me, he didn't do everything to not go to that italian restaurant, and some of the stuff he was saying didn't add up, so I told him I was going to talk to Jessica and he was supportive. I talked to Jessica and found out that even though they agreed to just be friends and nothing more in April, she still flirted with my bf here and there. Our conversation ended on a sour note and she had sent screenshots of the conversation to my bf (even though I had already sent him them). Jessica reaches out to my bf's best friend because they're friends and she tells her she doesn't want her name mentioned around my bf or me and that we're blocked.

I told my bf that I don't feel comfortable being friends with his best friend or being around her because she's friends with Jessica therefore her loyalties are with Jessica and I just want to remove every part of Jessica from me because a lot of things have been very triggering for me: the italian restaurant, the hotel she stayed, sunflowers, etc. My bf has told his best friend all about what's been going on and that easing my mind would ease his mind because he wants us all to comfortable and be able to hang out in group settings, but his best friend said that something similar has happened before with her friends and that cutting people off isn't the solution. Later on, Jessica removes his best friend from everything and his best friend tells him that she barely spoke to Jessica or reached out because Jessica's crazy. So I'm even more frustrated because she could've done something (cut off someone she doesn't care for) to ease her best friend and my discomfort but chose not to, even if it's a temporary relief.

We tried to break up and then he told me he was thinking of cutting off the friendship with his best friend for me but I told him I don't want him to do that nor do I want him to choose between me and her, I even said I'd take myself out of the equation because this is all too much. But he really wants to make it work. I've tried to set a boundary where I don't attend any event his best friend is at (his birthday, christmas parties etc) but at the same time I feel like I'm left out if all his friends are there with his best friend but not me. His best friend and his other friends have been friends for a long time so I don't think it's sustainable for me to be distant to her but still be friends with his friends. My bf is still confused on why I feel upset and how to go about handling these events even though I've voiced everything and repeated myself a dozen times. He really wants things to work but I feel like I've given him so many chances to him, he's weakened my trust for him so much that I have to set so many boundaries because I don't trust him to make me feel comfortable. How can we fix this?

OP posts:
Juniper68 · 01/01/2022 18:09

Can I have a nap now? Sorry but that was tiring.

DysmalRadius · 01/01/2022 18:10

I can't really understand your problem with his best friend? I agree with PP's that it sounds like a lot of work for a new relationship and if probably theirs this one back. But if you want to work this out, I think you need to stop involving other people in your relationship and focus on the two of you.

woefulinsomniac · 01/01/2022 18:12

This is the sort of thing I come across in a secondary school playground. Too much going on-you both need to walk away and mature.

roses910 · 01/01/2022 18:12

@aquamarine1029 @sparklesocks are you both saying you've never had a cheating dream that hurt so much that simple things like sunflowers trigger you? How is feeling emotional over something that reminds you of a hurtful moment a bad thing? You're essentially telling me to get over my feelings which is invalidating my feelings

OP posts:
girlmom21 · 01/01/2022 18:14

[quote roses910]**@aquamarine1029* @sparklesocks* are you both saying you've never had a cheating dream that hurt so much that simple things like sunflowers trigger you? How is feeling emotional over something that reminds you of a hurtful moment a bad thing? You're essentially telling me to get over my feelings which is invalidating my feelings[/quote]
That's exactly what they're saying. It's absurd to suggest that sunflowers are 'triggering' because you had a bad dream, and if you genuinely feel that way you should speak to a professional.

If anything is triggering 6 months into a relationship you need to walk away.

Shoxfordian · 01/01/2022 18:14

Forget about the dream; it didn’t actually happen Hmm

Harlequin1088 · 01/01/2022 18:14

Sounds like he’s banging Jessica to me….

Aquamarine1029 · 01/01/2022 18:15

[quote roses910]**@aquamarine1029* @sparklesocks* are you both saying you've never had a cheating dream that hurt so much that simple things like sunflowers trigger you? How is feeling emotional over something that reminds you of a hurtful moment a bad thing? You're essentially telling me to get over my feelings which is invalidating my feelings[/quote]
A mature adult is not emotionally devastated by a dream. It was just a dream. There was no "hurtful moment", that moment never actually happened. 🙄

Sparklesocks · 01/01/2022 18:15

[quote roses910]**@aquamarine1029* @sparklesocks* are you both saying you've never had a cheating dream that hurt so much that simple things like sunflowers trigger you? How is feeling emotional over something that reminds you of a hurtful moment a bad thing? You're essentially telling me to get over my feelings which is invalidating my feelings[/quote]
I have been upset over dreams initially on waking but as I’m an adult I know they aren’t real life and I get over them. I’m not haunted by bad dreams to the extent that I think they are the same thing as reality. You don’t sound emotionally mature enough to be in a relationship if things that happen in dreams upset you this much.

PointyMcguire · 01/01/2022 18:15

Jeez relationships are not meant to be this difficult, especially when you should still be in the honeymoon period. The whole thing seems so high drama.

Aquamarine1029 · 01/01/2022 18:16

@Harlequin1088

Sounds like he’s banging Jessica to me….
Absolutely, 100% guaranteed he is.
roses910 · 01/01/2022 18:19

okay forget about the dream, I was just explaining why I was triggered by them, it's not the main issue I'm trying to tackle here. The main issue is how do my bf and I tackle the issue with his best friend. what boundary can I make with his best friend that is reasonable and doesn't create discomfort for me?

OP posts:
girlmom21 · 01/01/2022 18:20

@roses910

okay forget about the dream, I was just explaining why I was triggered by them, it's not the main issue I'm trying to tackle here. The main issue is how do my bf and I tackle the issue with his best friend. what boundary can I make with his best friend that is reasonable and doesn't create discomfort for me?
You grow up and get over the fact she can be friends with people you don't like or you split up because ultimately you are making him choose, despite saying you don't want to do that.
roses910 · 01/01/2022 18:20

I can assure you after my conversation with Jessica, she wants nothing to do with me or my bf. Especially since she removed his best friend from the picture too.

OP posts:
Rose789 · 01/01/2022 18:22

okay forget about the dream, I was just explaining why I was triggered by them, it's not the main issue I'm trying to tackle here. The main issue is how do my bf and I tackle the issue with his best friend. what boundary can I make with his best friend that is reasonable and doesn't create discomfort for me?

I guess when you all get back to school things will be easier

PappaPaddy · 01/01/2022 18:23

What an awful lot of drama.

You both sound like you're in High School.

If he's been friends with all these people for a long time his loyalties are going to 'lean' towards them.
You sound very controlling, and he sounds untrustworthy.
You are not at all "experienced" just save yourself a whole load of anxiety and hand-wringing and end it.

AlDanvers · 01/01/2022 18:26

You are now triggered by su flowers because of a dream?

Honestly op, this relationship isn't going to work.

You had a dream he didn't actually sleep with her. Its in your head.

And it's not just 'forget about it' it says alot about the way you think and the things you are holding on to.

From what I can gather, he had a friend who was a pain in the arse. She is now gone. That's it

Tittyfilarious81 · 01/01/2022 18:27

I'm sorry op but if you don't trust him there is no fixing this

Aquamarine1029 · 01/01/2022 18:28

Everything under the sun seems to cause you "discomfort."

roses910 · 01/01/2022 18:29

@Tittyfilarious81I think so too

@ everyone thank you for all your advice

OP posts:
TheHoptimist · 01/01/2022 18:30

Could you ask for some paragraphs as a splitting up gift

Sorry but no way are you writing about adults
This is teen drama
Once you finish your GCSEs and start life it will all seem very minor

roses910 · 01/01/2022 18:31

@Aquamarine1029 You're so insensitive, maybe you should go back to school and learn to be kind

OP posts:
gettingolderandgrumpy · 01/01/2022 18:32

You don’t trust him so no advice on here will change that . He sounds like he needs to do a lot of growing up and tbh op a little from you too but your still young so perhaps a little naive. I don’t understand at this very early stage in a relationship why you want to fix things . This is something that you try and fix when married with kids not this early in a relationship when you simply don’t trust him . If it’s hard work call it a day and move on .

Pipplekins · 01/01/2022 18:36

You aren’t triggered by a dream you are using it as a excuse to control!
His BF has done nothing wrong and you are simply again trying to control.
I suggest therapy for you if you need to ‘fix’ anything.

roses910 · 01/01/2022 18:37

A mature adult can recognise her feelings are just as valid as everyone else's. forget the dream. I was hurt because I was cheated on, you dont need to sleep with someone to cheat. I felt hurt because I trusted someone too soon into a relationship and of course my trust is going to weaken because I was hurt so early in this relationship. Moving forward I'll keep my guard up and set boundaries early on.

OP posts:
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