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Mrkjones75

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I have been involved in a relationship with a guy for 2 years who's partnered up with a girlfriend. His girlfriend has a girlfriend on the side and that part is all great. Recently I have developed strong feelings for this guy but found he had been hanging with one of my friends who's a girl and the two slept together. At finding out I was furious because I have a thing about sleeping with my family and friends. We talked about it and he confessed that he has feelings for me as well but also has feelings for my friend but decided to give her up for my sake. Since then he has resented me for making him choose. I feel guilty also for making him choose. Was I wrong? Or should I just be a bigger man and let him go for it. Our relationship was great before this and I don't know what to do.
 
Some people have a thing about their partners getting involved with friends and family. There's nothing wrong with that--if you are clear about it up front, and if you state it as a boundary ("I can't be involved with someone who's dating one of my friends or family members") rather than a rule ("You can't get involved with any of my friends or family.") Was your guy aware before he met your friend that you have a preference against your dating partners getting involved with friends of yours?

While you aren't wrong to have that preference, if you told your guy that he couldn't date your friend (making a rule), and especially if you told him to stop seeing her (I'm not clear on whether you did, or whether he made the choice on his own), that was, in my opinion, wrong. You only have a right to manage *your* relationship. Your guy and your friend? That isn't *your* relationship. It's *theirs*. You don't have a right to manage or control *their* relationship. Regardless of how you put it to him, you put your guy in the position of having to choose between two people he likes and wants to be involved with, and forcing someone to choose like that is never okay. He has every reason to be resentful.

Whether he gets involved with your friend or not is *his* decision. If you want to be "the bigger man," you could tell him you've reconsidered and are okay with them getting involved--but make sure you actually *are* okay with it, or you'll be the one ending up feeling resentful. But if you tell him you're okay with it, it's entirely up to him and your friend whether they get involved with each other or not. If you can't handle him being involved with your friend, *you* need to make the choice of whether to stay involved with the guy or not. That is the ONLY choice you're in control of. Not his choices about who to get involved with. That isn't yours to control.
 
If you’re feeling hurt that this person slept with your friend, that’s a completely reasonable feeling. In particular if you’d already communicated that boundary. Had you explicitly told him, “hey, don’t sleep with my friends and family?” If so, he’s behaved terribly, and he owes you an apology and he should stop sulking. Even if you DIDN’T make the desire explicit to him, I feel like a reasonably empathetic partners would have at LEAST asked for your permission first.

This guy isn’t looking too great here.

As for what you should do, there are enough shades of grey here that I can’t give you a solid answer. Except: listen to your feelings, and don’t keep them to yourself either.
 
Hello Mrkjones75,

Some people have a "messy list," and friends and family are frequently on that list. So it's not like you are out in left field for not wanting him to sleep with your friend. As for whether you should make an exception to your rule, only you can decide that. Sure he resents you, but if you turn around and let him go for it, will you end up resenting him? If so, your relationship with him will still be less than great. You have to decide if this is something you can do wholeheartedly.

Did he know friends and family were on your messy list? If so, you had every right to be upset with him. If he didn't know, well, that's different. You could still be upset about it without being upset *at him.* Not that that matters at this late stage.

Anyway, one way or another I hope you are able to remove the resentment from your relationship with him.

Sincerely,
Kevin T.
 
I'm sorry you struggle.

Recently I have developed strong feelings for this guy but found he had been hanging with one of my friends who's a girl and the two slept together.

Was this cheating on agreements?

Since then he has resented me for making him choose.

Nobody can force people to do stuff. You didn't have a gun to his head, right? You have a boundary. He chose to give her up. If he now regrets the choice, he is free to say "I'm sorry. I changed my mind. I pick her" and he can end it with you. It's not ok for him to take his regrets out on you like you are at fault for having a personal boundary.

I feel guilty also for making him choose

I don't know why. You are allowed to have personal boundaries about not getting involved with friends. You didn't DO anything to him.

Was I wrong? Or should I just be a bigger man and let him go for it

I think you could let him go, period. Then he cannot be blaming you for his decisions, and you don't have to deal with this stuff any more.

Our relationship was great before this and I don't know what to do.

Well, if it was cheating on agreements to take up with the woman friend? Some BF. And she knew you guys were dating for 2 years? Some friend.

Be ok being without him and without her.

Galagirl
 
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