I’ve been with my partner for six years total. We were on and off for a while, spent about a year apart, and got back together around three months ago. I think I was ready for the relationship again before he was, and now he’s planning on leaving the state while I stay here for college and eventually want to study abroad.
We still love each other deeply, which honestly makes this harder. It feels like life is pulling us in different directions even though neither of us wants to hurt the other. I’m grieving the relationship while we’re technically still together, and I don’t know how to process that.
What scares me the most is losing my best friend. He’s been my emotional support, my safe person, and I don’t really have that kind of connection with anyone else where I live. I don’t want to stop him from doing what he feels he needs to do for himself, but I’m terrified of being left behind emotionally.
I guess I’m looking for stories from people who went through something similar, loving each other but needing different lives for a while. Does long distance seem viable? Did you ever reconnect later? Did letting go eventually become less painful? How did you cope with losing someone who felt like both your partner and your best friend?