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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:
roses910 · 01/01/2022 19:22

@girlmom21 she's close enough that when he went to see her in the days they were dating, he never had to stay more than a day

OP posts:
TabithaTittlemouse · 01/01/2022 19:23

[quote roses910]@Nocutenamesleft well I hope your husband's favourite celeb runs up to him naked and let's see if your limits are tested[/quote]
Grin

I really hope you come back to this in a few years op. It’s completely bizarre.

HarlanPepper · 01/01/2022 19:24

Well, this has been five minutes of my life I'll never get back.

Tittyfilarious81 · 01/01/2022 19:25

@roses910 I really do think it's best to let this relationship go because I think Jessica will always be an issue for you and you don't fully trust him either . Even if you did try to work this out she will still pop up here and there and she obviously still plays on your mind it's honestly not worth the heartache

roses910 · 01/01/2022 19:29

@Tittyfilarious81thank you, you're the only kind respectful person on this forum. I don't think it's worth the heartache either

OP posts:
Notconfident · 01/01/2022 19:30

What the heck have I just read?

Just dump him. You clearly have trust issues and perhaps need to work on them before entering into another relationship.

AlDanvers · 01/01/2022 19:34

So where you just said they were attracted to eachother, in the op was wrong?

They dated a few months but nothing happened between them. But they still consider themselves exs.

That doesn't even make sense. It appear you are adding bits in (in your own head and thread) to make you sound more reseasonable and justify this behaviour.

AlDanvers · 01/01/2022 19:35

Why do you keep believing people are obliged to kind?

HoseMeDownWithHollyWater · 01/01/2022 19:35

Sorry but the sunflower thing made me laugh.

Grow up.

Glittery5599 · 01/01/2022 19:38

So this all started because of a dream…you then get upset because you can’t control who his best friend talks to.
You don’t want to be around said friend so refuse to go out if they are there but feel left out…

Maybe he’s not great but you sound really controlling

Toiletbrushanswer · 01/01/2022 19:39

Please stop using the word "triggering". It is about genuine psychological issues following real trauma. Not something that makes you sad ffs.

roses910 · 01/01/2022 19:45

@AlDanvers people are going through hard times whether you think theyre big or small, they're feelings are valid, you not being kind in this scenario is showing you having very little empathy towards that person

OP posts:
debwong · 01/01/2022 19:47

Bloody hell Confused

1forAll74 · 01/01/2022 19:48

It all sounds like tales from the school playground to me. You deserve a much simpler life,wthout all this drama from people.

stuntbubbles · 01/01/2022 19:49

Write it all down in your LiveJournal and move on.

roses910 · 01/01/2022 19:50

@Toiletbrushanswer as someone who does have anxiety and panic attacks and is going through an emotional time, I think triggering is the right word because being triggered means you are experiencing past pain in the present moment. Being triggered is like reopening of a wound that hasn't had a chance to heal - my uni counsellor told me this.

OP posts:
AlDanvers · 01/01/2022 19:51

[quote roses910]@AlDanvers people are going through hard times whether you think theyre big or small, they're feelings are valid, you not being kind in this scenario is showing you having very little empathy towards that person[/quote]
I know people are going through hard times. That doesn't oblige me to nor give an honest opinion on a forum asking for opinions.

By be kind you mean 'don't say things I don't like'. They aren't the same thing

stuntbubbles · 01/01/2022 19:52
Flowers
Cardio101 · 01/01/2022 19:54

You can’t control who your boyfriend’s friend wants to be friends with.
This is all a bit bizarre and contains a lot of drama for such a short relationship.

Please stop using the word triggering, as per another PP it’s for genuine psychological issues.

ditalini · 01/01/2022 19:55

It sounds like it would be much better fir your bf, and also for you, for you to just go your separate ways.

Honestly? Your posts are full of red flags - things should not be this hard. You should run a mile from each other.

ditalini · 01/01/2022 19:59

And I do think it's horribly controlling to try to stop someone from seeing someone they want to see, especially this early on. Particularly when you have such shallow ties to each other.

If you don't like it then the appropriate action is to end the relationship.

TabithaTittlemouse · 01/01/2022 20:00

[quote roses910]@Toiletbrushanswer as someone who does have anxiety and panic attacks and is going through an emotional time, I think triggering is the right word because being triggered means you are experiencing past pain in the present moment. Being triggered is like reopening of a wound that hasn't had a chance to heal - my uni counsellor told me this.[/quote]
So what are you going to do about the situation? How can you stop being triggered? (Clue: it’s been said quite a few times on here).

What are you studying btw?

Nocutenamesleft · 01/01/2022 20:00

[quote roses910]@Nocutenamesleft well I hope your husband's favourite celeb runs up to him naked and let's see if your limits are tested[/quote]
Hahaha

Oh. So do I!!!!! Oh. I’d love that.

I trust my husband 1000000000%.

I can’t explain how much I trust him.

Reila24 · 01/01/2022 20:03

Not even gonna bother on this one

Dont understand why are you so persistent on this relationship op. Its meant to be the flipping honeymoon stages.

"Jessica" will always be around whether its 7 months in or 10 years on

Why you think this person is worth the headache is beyond me

Why you think this is something you can BOTH fix is beyond me too. You dont have much control over this situation or how your bf handles things. You cant fix this. Its down to him. And he hasnt handled things the best has he? So what are you going to do about? Because that you can control

You can either stay with him and tolerate this crap

Or leave and find another one out of the billions of men on this planet that dont come with the baggage

Chose wisely...

girlmom21 · 01/01/2022 20:03

[quote roses910]@Toiletbrushanswer as someone who does have anxiety and panic attacks and is going through an emotional time, I think triggering is the right word because being triggered means you are experiencing past pain in the present moment. Being triggered is like reopening of a wound that hasn't had a chance to heal - my uni counsellor told me this.[/quote]
What happens when you see sunflowers?

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