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Confusing situation

10 replies

Starrysnow · 12/12/2024 08:22

Just wondering what people's opinions would be about this.

I got to know this guy (I'll call him J) about 2 years ago. I don't want to be too outing, but let's just say he is something like a sports coach, and people can book one to one sessions with him/ take part in group activities.

I was struggling in a long, difficult marriage when I met J, and knew I would have to leave my husband, I just didn't know when. J and I hit it off immediately, there was a lot of connection, chemistry and shared interests. We had some one to one sessions, and over time during these, became emotionally close, and both opened up to each other. I basically felt like I was falling in love with him, and I could tell he felt the same.

I separated from my exDH at the beginning of this year. I then didn't contact J for a few months. I felt in turmoil, grieving the end of a long marriage, and had such a lot to sort out practically re kids, finances, housing etc. I then came back to the group and booked another one to one session with J.

During this session, J told me that he'd started a relationship with someone else. I felt totally heartbroken. We'd never had an open conversation about our feelings for each other, but I still felt very strongly for him. J basically told me that the woman he was seeing was part of the group and had asked him out.

They were together a couple of months, then I think she ended it. I don't know the details. However, now J seems interested in me again. Again, we haven't had an open conversation about this, but he has mentioned that he thought in the few months I didn't contact him that I'd got into a relationship myself. He is now making real hints to me that he would like to be in a relationship with me. It's obvious that he knows I felt hurt about everything, and I can tell he is trying to be extra caring to me.

Am I being unreasonable to feel hurt and betrayed by him? I'm not sure whether I'm taking all this too seriously, it's just that I liked him so much that I wouldn't have been open to another guy, even if one had asked me out. But I understand maybe he was confused as I hadn't been in touch. I did ask him semi jokingly if he'd thought to contact me when I wasn't in touch, but he said that he wasn't supposed to contact team members personally (unless it was for something to do with a session or group meet ups) unless it was clear that we had a personal relationship. This is why he also waits for the other person to make the first move if they want a personal relationship with him, as I think he's aware of not crossing boundaries.

I just feel confused about all of this. I don't know whether I should just try to have an open conversation with him, admit my feelings, and see where it goes from there. At this point, I don't really mind what the outcome is, I just want some clarification.

OP posts:
username299 · 12/12/2024 08:25

Ask him out for a drink and see how it goes.

CookieMonster28 · 12/12/2024 08:26

Honesty is the best policy. Kindly I think you're overthinking it a bit, which is understandable considering what you've gone through. Good luck!

Starrysnow · 12/12/2024 08:34

Thanks. I think part of the reason I feel hurt is that I'm pretty sure he was having one to one sessions with this other woman at the same time that I was having them with him. So I'm wondering if he was open to her then the same way he was with me. But maybe that's what people are like, I mean, I know some people date a few people at a time. It's just that I'm not like that, I only focus on one person at a time (I'm not saying that's the "right" way to be though.)

OP posts:
ChristmasFluff · 12/12/2024 09:47

He sounds massively unprofessional and as though he is using his job as a dating app.

Whathappensnowplease · 12/12/2024 09:48

I know I'm being cynical but I wonder if this is a pattern of behaviour for him: getting close to his clients, having fairly short term relationships with them and then moving on? It seems strange that having a relationship with a client is OK but contacting them otherwise is out of bounds.
I think if you have your eyes wide open and start something with him that's fair enough. But I wouldn't expect it to be a particularly long lasting one and if he has a lot of one to one sessions with other women it might be stressful.

category12 · 12/12/2024 09:59

He sounds like he gets lots of offers.

I think your closeness was maybe transference (common with falling for counsellors/therapists etc) and it's born out of the attention he's paid to give you.

He's probably attracted to you, but I'm not sure this is a great move for you. It probably goes deeper for you than it does for him, and it sounds like he has a bit of a habit of taking up with his clients.

LimeYellow · 12/12/2024 10:04

He didn't do anything wrong to enter a relationship with another woman, given that you had never said anything to each other and you were out of touch for several months. It's not reasonable to expect him to hang about and wait for you.

However, although he's not done anything wrong, I agree with pp to tread carefully. He sounds like a bit of a player and you sound like you're in a vulnerable position.

user2848502016 · 12/12/2024 10:16

I don't think he did anything wrong. Why don't you take it slowly and see how things go

Bittenonce · 12/12/2024 10:21

Staring into my crystal ball, I see:
You meet. You start a relationship, you sleep with him. You’re emotionally committed and monogamous, he isn’t. He moves on to the next client, you feel hurt and used.

Natty13 · 12/12/2024 10:23

You've used the phrase "I can tell" so many times in your post it's sticking out to me. Be really careful with that, it sounds like you are highly emotionally intelligent and are projecting feelings where there might not be any. If you were right that he was falling in love with you before your separation how do you explain the fact he was also getting close to another client, whom he actually ended up with? This is something that women do because of the differences in our brains, be very careful of limerance.

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