Intimate or weird
Is sharing/recommending perfumes with a male coworker an intimate thing, or am I reading too much into it?
Hey all, my girlfriend [35F] recently told me that she and a male coworker share perfume/fragrance Instagram pages and recommend fragrances to each other.
Normally, I probably wouldn't think much of that on its own, but there have been a few other things that have made me suspicious that there could be an emotional affair or some kind of attraction developing.
I've noticed she's started putting a lot more effort into her appearance on days when she's working with him. I've also found out that she hasn't always been truthful with me about when they're on shift together. They message each other quite a lot on Instagram as well, and I've noticed her taking her phone into the bathroom and spending time in there.
Recently, I brought up my concerns with her without directly accusing her of cheating. She reassured me that there was nothing going on and said they mostly just send each other cat videos, perfume/fragrance stuff, etc.
There was also a work party coming up with an animal theme. She wanted to go as a leopard and bought some very tight, figure-hugging pants along with quite a few other things for the costume. When I was shopping with her, there were a couple of moments where she seemed bothered by me being there, and it looked like she was considering buying two of certain things, like masks. It made me wonder whether she and this coworker had planned some kind of matching costume, although I obviously can't know that for sure.
The morning of the party, I brought up my concerns again. She then decided not to go to the party at all, which I found a little strange given how much effort and money she'd already put into the costume.
The perfume thing particularly sticks in my mind because fragrance can feel quite personal. You're talking about how someone smells, what scents suit them, what you find attractive, etc. But I also realise that people can just be really into fragrances and share recommendations with friends without it meaning anything romantic.
So I'm curious what other people think: is sharing and recommending perfumes/fragrances with a coworker potentially an intimate or flirty thing, especially alongside the other behaviour? Or am I giving the perfume aspect too much significance?
I'm less concerned about the perfume recommendations in isolation and more about the combination of that, the frequent Instagram messaging, increased effort with her appearance, and not being truthful about when they're working together.