u/Grand_Sector4130

So... I really need some outside perspective because my head and my heart are not agreeing at the moment. I've been talking to this guy for almost five months now. From the beginning, I told myself I would stick to all my usual rules to dating: No meeting my family until after at least three months, no sleeping with him until after at least five dates, and no letting my walls down unless I Knew he was serious about being with me.

Let's just say he had a way of making me feel like the rules were redundant.

When we started talking, he told me he had been broken up with his ex for about six months at the time. They had been together for almost half a decade, so I get that it's not easy to move on from something that long-term, but I was very clear. I was not signing up to be someone's rebound. He told me that I wouldn't be and that there was nothing to worry about.

Fast forward to now and things feel different. She recently unblocked him and has been asking him for financial help. And he has been more than happy to give it to her. He sent her at least $2500 in the past month alone, which I Just found out that it was to this magnitude.

I've tried to be understanding. I've tried to be patient. I've tried to remind myself that feelings don't just disappear overnight, but it's getting harder to ignore the knot in my stomach. Because here's the part that really hit me: He hasn't told her that he's in a relationship. Like, at all. As far as she knows, he's still single.

Meanwhile, I've opened my heart to him. I've let myself be vulnerable with him. I've even let myself imagine a future with this man. But now I feel like I'm loving someone who would drop me the second she says she wants him back. Like I'm just a placeholder until then.

I told myself that if things don't change by our six-month mark, they never will. I'm at almost five months now, and instead of progress, it feels like we're sliding backwards.