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Relationships

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He drunk called his ex.

123 replies

ThatPearlOP · 18/02/2024 15:02

My boyfriend and I have lived together for a year and a half or so, and been together for nearly three. We are perfect together. Everybody is envious of our near perfect relationship, we are genuinely the best of friends. He is the best person I have ever met.

My family and friends adore him, his family and friends adore me, and it’s genuinely felt like we’re in the honeymoon phase for the entire time we’ve been together.

Since moving in together we have had much less sex than usual. Normal I thought, and doesn’t bother me because I don’t have the highest sex drive anyway. I’m also not the most confident in bed so he does tend to take a lead every single time which, I know, is not ideal, and I could definitely improve this area.

On Friday night he went out with his friends, and Saturday morning I had plans with my friends, so we barely saw one another. He was asleep so I put a glass of water on his table, kissed him goodbye and left.

While I was with my friends I received a message from an Instagram user that I did not know. The message was from my partners ex-girlfriend….. he had called her at 2am.

I immediately messaged him, and he said he was so sorry, he had gone to ring one of his friends, he was drunk / couldn’t see who he was calling and it was a mistake. I trust him, and I said we could talk about it when I get home in the evening.

Fast forward to Saturday evening, I get home and he’s out again. I tell him I need to see him, I need to talk to him about what happended, and asked him to please come home at a reasonable hour so we can talk it out. He didn’t. I picked him up at 4:00am, where he was just wandering the streets, alone.

In the morning he tells me he’s not happy at all in life, he needs to find himself again, doesn’t like that we spend 24/7 together, and he needs to find his own ‘spark’ / happiness to see if we can come back together, so basically, he wants to break-up.

I asked if he means to ‘take a break’ or to actually break-up. He says break-up, but he wants to see how he feels in a weeks time.

He kept repeating that he loves me, I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to him, that he ‘wishes’ it could work. He says it’s nothing I’ve done and kept apologising and apologising for ‘hurting me’.

Although very teary, I was super calm about it, told him he needs to do what he needs to do and it’s ok that he is putting himself first.

We have so much planned over the next 2 weeks - 3 concerts (with his family) and a holiday. The concerts are all musicians I adore so frankly, I don’t want to take a step back and let just him go - I paid for the holiday, too, as his birthday present. So I’m not sitting that out either.

He’s gone for a walk now, but he’ll be back later.

He will be sleeping in the spare room but we will be living in the same house. He has nowhere to go other than his mum’s sofa. My mum said I should just tell him to sleep at his mum’s on the sofa, but I don’t have it in me.

I’m really really anxious about him not being around, I’m absolutely not strong enough for that.

How do I handle this now? I am obviously absolutely devastated but I’m subconsciously just thinking about how everything will be fine, we’ll get back together, we’re soulmates, yadda yadda yadda. But what if we don’t? How would you navigate this situation? I’m lost.

Thank you for reading.

OP posts:
Hurryuphumphreygeorgeiswaiting · 18/02/2024 18:12

You are being badly treated op. With him staying at home, it will not help you. I would tell him to go and stay at his mums. He wants space so let him have it.
I know you are feeling devastated but stay strong, calm and do not grovel for him to stay in this relationship.
Go away on Holiday, concerts with friends, keep busy. Do not suffer alone and remember you are worth so much more. Do not let him treat you like this.

PersephonePomegranate23 · 18/02/2024 18:15

People saying to throw him out; can OP actually do this, as presumably they either have both names on a lease, or a mortgage if home owners.

She could ask him to leave or she could go herself. Either way, allowing this is doing no good.

Didimum · 18/02/2024 18:31

Understandably you are devastated, OP, but it’s time to find your inner strength. This relationship is less than 3yrs old – he simply wasn’t who you thought he was. It’s shit, but it unfortunately happens. Don’t allow him to have your heart for any longer. He doesn’t deserve it.

PieAndLattes · 18/02/2024 18:41

He’s dumping you but he doesn’t have the balls to do it with honour and respect so he’s chasing other women behind your back and giving you the slow fade while you cling to false hope that he’ll ’come to his senses’. Let him go, honey, because he’s gone. He has mentally left the building. Time to make him physically leave now too.

rooftopbird · 18/02/2024 19:00

I'm really sorry to say it but you need to grow a backbone and realise you absolutely are strong enough to deal with this and you will.

He's not good enough for you, I suspect he's keeping a bit more than the drunken ex phone call from you too tbh.

Patrickiscrazy · 18/02/2024 19:32

For god's sake. I just re read your OP, I'm guessing you are fairly young.
You will be all right. Get rid of this pathetic bastard.

Redcar78 · 18/02/2024 19:43

ThatPearlOP · 18/02/2024 15:28

Thank you, I know I need to find the strength to do that. I am such a people pleaser that I genuinely just can’t imagine him having to sleep on her sofa. I feel so bad

Sorry, I should have clarified. She messaged with a screenshot of a missed call from him at 2am (ish) and said hi, you don’t know me, I’m ___ ex girlfriend, I wanted to let you know I woke up with a missed call from him, they haven’t spoken in over 3 years so it’s entirely random, and she would want to know if her partner did it

So she did the right thing by letting me know. It was just a missed call I’m guessing she was asleep and he didn’t get the chance to say anything to her

Edited

I wonder if he's cheated in the past. This is the only time I'd think to message an exes partner about a missed call after 3 years, if I knew he had form x

mintmagnum3 · 18/02/2024 20:31

Oh OP I am so sorry to read your thread.
I can relate so much to what you've said. My ex husband left me, when I was pregnant, completely out of the blue. It hit me like a tonne of bricks. I totally get it.
What I find bizarre is why did his ex message you to tel you he rang her? What did she actually say about the call? If something had been going on with then why would she message you?

Just take one step at a time. Take your time to process it all. Don't think about next week, think about tomorrow morning. Things that seem impossible now, won't feel gateway when they happen. Just breath and know you're not alone ❤️

JungsWordTest · 18/02/2024 20:52

OP, my wish for you is that you find a "good enough" relationship, rather than a "perfect" one.

MadeForThis · 18/02/2024 21:05

He was drunk and trying to contact his ex. Why? He is clearly looking outside your relationship.

Be strong and tell him to leave. End it properly.

JaneAustensHeroine · 18/02/2024 21:26

Oh OP, it’s so devastating for you. Please remind yourself that you had a life before him…and you have a life after him.

Flowers for you

Mintytea11 · 18/02/2024 21:28

You sound so lovely and he doesn’t deserve you. Do not feel bad asking him to leave as he has just ended things with you! He doesn’t deserve your hospitality at all and will be perfectly fine at his mothers. X

Crazycrazylady · 18/02/2024 21:32

Honestly op. I agree with everyone else . He for what ever reason isn't happy any more and wants out. Bring a bit spineless he is stringing out the breakup in an attempt to 'prepare' you but he has already checked out.
I'm sorry op. It's totally shit

Anjea · 18/02/2024 21:33

The sex thing is weird.

He's on the lookout. Find your anger and lost the pity.

Lampslights · 18/02/2024 21:34

Hurryuphumphreygeorgeiswaiting · 18/02/2024 18:12

You are being badly treated op. With him staying at home, it will not help you. I would tell him to go and stay at his mums. He wants space so let him have it.
I know you are feeling devastated but stay strong, calm and do not grovel for him to stay in this relationship.
Go away on Holiday, concerts with friends, keep busy. Do not suffer alone and remember you are worth so much more. Do not let him treat you like this.

It really depends on the home ownership here, for all we know it’s his.

RandomForest · 18/02/2024 21:36

How long was he with this ex ?

Does he have any children ?

clickyourredshoestogether3times · 18/02/2024 21:49

Hmm

Pinkie89 · 18/02/2024 21:50

ThatPearlOP · 18/02/2024 15:33

Wasn’t my number, she found my Instagram page.

I don’t know how she found it but maybe she’s just heard through the grapevine who his girlfriend is etc.

More women should be like this, looking out for other females.

Time to take your rose tinted glasses off, this isn’t the perfect relationship you thought it was. I agree with other posters, shock him by taking back control and telling him to leave.

I’d be wondering who he phoned/messaged when the ex didn’t answer, I guarantee she wasn’t the only one to receive a drunk call.

caringcarer · 18/02/2024 22:26

He doesn't love you and want to be with you anymore. He doesn't want to discuss why he still has a thing about his ex. Ask him to move out. Let him sleep at his Mum's. I'd be selling the music tickets if I could and wouldn't be going on that holiday either. See if you can sell it to him so he can take a friend or you buy his ticket off him and you take a friend. Get the names changed on to kets. It's not hard to do. He's not worth the heartache. Also if you live together and he's not initiating sex very often that's a giveaway he's not into you. You might not see it now but you can do so much better than a man we ho is at best half hearted about you. Find a man that you mean everything to. That would do anything to be close to you. You would be much happier.

Loubelle70 · 18/02/2024 23:11

Take his ex on holiday and to the gig with you and send him pics 🤣

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 18/02/2024 23:13

The OP hasn't been back since 3.30pm - ish Hopefully he is at his Mums...

Sceptical123 · 18/02/2024 23:14

IncompleteSenten · 18/02/2024 15:06

He wants a couple of weeks to see if his ex will take him back.
If she won't then he wants to be able to come back to you, his back up plan.

What would I do? Id tell him he clearly thinks I'm a moron if he thinks I don't know exactly what he's after and not to bother with his soul searching because you've done yours and your search turned up a note saying fuck off.

I thought this - he wants to break up, NOT take a break, so he’ll be free to pursue/ sleep with someone else without any comeback. Being ‘on a break’ makes the boundaries messy and will not allow him to first test whether the grass is greener then return to your relationship like nothing happened. Look at Ross and Rachel (😬)

Him adding the caveat that he wants to see how he feels in a week is so insulting to you OP - you should be really offended. It’s not offering you hope that he comes to his senses after a weeks reflection and chooses you, it’s to keep you on the hook and ready to take him back if he doesn’t find anyone better or if the woman he has his eye on rejects him. He’s trying to reinforce your attachment to him by telling you he loves you repeatedly and all the other crap he’s spouting. Please don’t fall for it! He’s essentially love bombing you without actually loving you. He doesn’t love you or he wouldn’t be treating you this way or risk losing you. He obviously assumes you have so little self-esteem that you’ll just take it from him and stick around hoping he’ll want you.

I advise you to be mean OP. Tell him he obv needs physical as well as emotional distance between you and send him to his mums. Be assertive. Make plans. Grey rock. Don’t show emotion. Don’t contact him. He is taking your passive nature for granted and he may very well be turned off by living with a pushover. Show him you’re not and he is likely to regret his decision!

Interestingly I read an article today about something similar - essentially the writer said her relationship changed dramatically as soon as they became engaged. Her BF stopped having sex with her, wouldn’t tell her what was wrong. It took a year and for them to be on holiday when she finally got him to admit that he was no longer attracted to her bc of the pressure of getting married etc. He told her he’d hoped by not being intimate with her it would make her realise his feelings had changed and she’d end the relationship!

Don’t be this woman OP. Take control and tell him you agree as you realise what sort of person he is and you don’t want to be with him either now. Turn the tables. Call his bluff. Thank him. For goodness sake don’t take it, it won’t make you any more attractive to him, it’ll be the opposite.

Wishing you well

Loubelle70 · 18/02/2024 23:15

His ex messaged you on insta...get rid of him and thank his ex. You may feel guilty he has to go but he doesnt feel guilty ringing his ex whilst with you...nope...and trying to manipulate you into towing the line ie not asking further about it further or else. Also the fact he has an exes number 3 years After the fact...nope

Loubelle70 · 18/02/2024 23:16

Sceptical123 · 18/02/2024 23:14

I thought this - he wants to break up, NOT take a break, so he’ll be free to pursue/ sleep with someone else without any comeback. Being ‘on a break’ makes the boundaries messy and will not allow him to first test whether the grass is greener then return to your relationship like nothing happened. Look at Ross and Rachel (😬)

Him adding the caveat that he wants to see how he feels in a week is so insulting to you OP - you should be really offended. It’s not offering you hope that he comes to his senses after a weeks reflection and chooses you, it’s to keep you on the hook and ready to take him back if he doesn’t find anyone better or if the woman he has his eye on rejects him. He’s trying to reinforce your attachment to him by telling you he loves you repeatedly and all the other crap he’s spouting. Please don’t fall for it! He’s essentially love bombing you without actually loving you. He doesn’t love you or he wouldn’t be treating you this way or risk losing you. He obviously assumes you have so little self-esteem that you’ll just take it from him and stick around hoping he’ll want you.

I advise you to be mean OP. Tell him he obv needs physical as well as emotional distance between you and send him to his mums. Be assertive. Make plans. Grey rock. Don’t show emotion. Don’t contact him. He is taking your passive nature for granted and he may very well be turned off by living with a pushover. Show him you’re not and he is likely to regret his decision!

Interestingly I read an article today about something similar - essentially the writer said her relationship changed dramatically as soon as they became engaged. Her BF stopped having sex with her, wouldn’t tell her what was wrong. It took a year and for them to be on holiday when she finally got him to admit that he was no longer attracted to her bc of the pressure of getting married etc. He told her he’d hoped by not being intimate with her it would make her realise his feelings had changed and she’d end the relationship!

Don’t be this woman OP. Take control and tell him you agree as you realise what sort of person he is and you don’t want to be with him either now. Turn the tables. Call his bluff. Thank him. For goodness sake don’t take it, it won’t make you any more attractive to him, it’ll be the opposite.

Wishing you well

This allover

ThatPearlOP · 19/02/2024 10:32

Hi everyone, thanks so much.

I’m not purposefully ignoring the more brutal messages. They’re hard to read but they’re important and I appreciate them a lot.

For the person who was confused about me saying I’m glad he’s putting himself first etc. that’s literally just my temperament unfortunately. I honestly almost don’t have it in me to be angry. I am a very emotional person, not an angry person. I know I am a ‘too nice’ and I risk being a doormat. He however has not treated me as such in the relationship. Aside from this he has been a loving boyfriend who dotes on me (I am not saying this excuses his behaviour).

How ‘nice’ and understanding I am is my favourite thing about myself and I don’t want to let anybody ever take away my kindness. I pride myself on it.

I am also a firm believer in being able to walk away with my head held high. I have been kind, and I absolutely do not regret anything I said to him.

He came home last night, gave me a hug and told me he missed me. He has gone to his mums since this morning. I told him he couldn’t have the spare room… he offered to sleep on the floor (?). I said that doesn’t make a difference, he said ‘I’ll come back after work and pack a bag’ and I told him he may as well pack it now. He did. While it may be easy for other people, that was a really hard thing for me to do. He also gave me a hug goodbye this morning.

Re his ex girlfriend, I know he rang her on purpose. I’m not dumb. I however do not believe he still loves her, wants her back, wanted to sleep with her, any of that. She treated him very poorly at the time (I have heard this from his sister, who is one of my best friends). She cheated on him, they had crazy, blow-up arguments. He does not want her back and I am confident in that. I know it was not a mistake though, I think he rang her for some closure / let her know how she made him feel / how he’s doing now kind of thing. They were together for like 5 months.

I’m super grateful she told me. I have thanked her and told her she did the right thing. It’s exactly what I would do.

I still haven’t decided what to do about the concerts. The first one is as soon as Wednesday. We are going with his sister and her boyfriend (as previously mentioned his sister is one of my best best friends) and she has said she wants to go with me. I’m not not going, I love the artists and honestly, missing out on something I love and have been looking forward to is not an option for me.

I have reread what I wrote back and yep, you’re all right. The relationship is clearly not as perfect as I think it is. We were however, best friends, and we were very happy together. I do believe that this is a case of him feeling extremely guilty and avoiding the conversation about calling his ex girlfriend because he doesn’t want to face it. I know that doesn’t make it ok! For the person that asked I am 27 and he is 28.

Thanks so much for all your help, I don’t really want to talk to any of my friends about this yet, I have only spoken to his sister. I’m really embarrassed that has happened and it really does help me talking it all out. I appreciate it a lot.

OP posts:
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