r/UKrelationshipadvice

Hinge vs tinder for something long term not just …?

I do quite well on the latter but messages do dry up and don’t always get to dates.

Ps are your dates leading to one nights or are you taking it slower?

Looking for something where I can eventually live together with split bills travel cook together hit gym and just enjoy life.

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u/Longjumping-Tune-454 — 20 hours ago

I’m unhappy, so I want a divorce,When everything looks perfect on paper, what are we missing?

I am at the age now where a lot of my mates&work colleagues are getting divorced. For the most part, it seems to come e out of the blue, with the wives stating they are "unhappy."

This has happened to multiple friends and work mates recently. When I chat to the husbands in these situations, they are shocked because they thought they were doing everything right. There was no cheating (so they said In some cases I have no reason not to believe them ), no financial control or abuse, they shared the load with the housework and the kids, they went on family holidays, and by all accounts, the intimacy (so they said I am not in the bedroom and they might think that but the wife might think differently) and quality time were good.

It has made me look inward. As men, we sometimes tend to overlook the emotional side of a relationship and miss subtle signs. Now, I’m looking at my own marriage and wondering if I am missing anything, or if my partner might be harboring an unspoken unhappiness.

My question to the sub is: What causes a partner to become so "unhappy" that they want a divorce, even when their spouse is doing "everything right" on paper? (i.e., no abuse, no infidelity, financial stability, active parenting, staying in shape (not getting overweight), and sharing responsibilities).

If you have been on either side of this scenario, please help me understand the perspective of the partner who leaves. What are the missing pieces to this puzzle?

And if you have ended it because you were merely because you were just bored and "unhappy", was the grass greener on the outside ?

Happy to hear your thoughts.

Be respectful

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u/Manoj109 — 1 day ago

Is this normal?

I’m 30 year old woman, and I really want to find a healthy relationship

I sometimes go on dates with guys and it’s clear they interested in me on the first date. They hold my hand, kiss me and speak of how they want another date with me. I’m nervous on dates but that’s normal I think, it will take me a while to relax as I get to know someone.

But then after the date, and it happens EVERY time. The guys will just start to string me along. Dangling the possibility of a second date in front of me but never making plans. Texting me and then I reply and then taking 3 days to reply to me. Sending cold low effort texts. I reply warmly and don’t take so long to reply, I ask questions and make an effort and I don’t get the same effort back

Some guys circle around me for years and never ask me out again. When I suggest it, they don’t reply

This has happened so often now, even with guys who have nice personality who I am not going for them for physical attraction, that I’m starting to get very upset. I’m really worried and don’t understand what I do wrong. I don’t know if this is just normal early dating and I am being too sensitive.

I wish I knew what’s wrong with me, I just want the opportunity to get to know someone and develop a connection

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Amazing few dates until different political views

Been on several dates with a super nice guy. Great energy. We clicked. Laughed. Lots in common. One particularly fun pub crawl. Chemistry. Felt unpretentious. Finally meeting someone after a long time who did feel the need to project a perfectly curated version of themselves.

Let my guard down after a recent bitter break up.

We never really talked politics until last weekend when the marches were happening in London. Was date #5. Prob weird that politics never came up but that’s because we were always doing fun things. Museums, shows etc. And, drinks after - more about general life chats.

When we met, the marches came up as it was all over the news plus we were in central. I made a joke about how ridiculous I found Tommy Robinson and the whole March in general. I was shocked when he said he sympathised with Unite the kingdom and Robinson. I genuinely thought he was having me on … and thought at any moment he’d laugh and break his poker face. He didn’t. He laughed once, awkwardly when i said - “ are you joking” so i genuinely wasn’t sure. We had tickets for a film at prince charles. I felt uncomfortable so confronted him beforehand. I genuinely wanted to know his position.

Everything was so at odds with his personality up to that point. Outgoing and seemingly empathetic.

He started to explain his theories and stats. It dawned on me this guy actually believes this stuff.

I tried to explain my views but he talked over my words. Resulted in a rush of rage - I wanted to leave. Which I did. Honestly, was like my body went into autopilot. He tried to walk after me but I refused to stop. His words felt so personal. I grew up in London and it was as if he was judging my friends. And to be reiterate again., I really really was on autopilot. I just had to go. Hopped on the tube - completely spaced out. I can’t even remember the journey.

He’s sent 3 very long text messages since partially apologising but also reaffirming his position. Some with articles written by ‘experts’

I feel like I owe him an explanation of sorts, even just to reiterate my views more coherently - but part of me just wants to block and move on.

It just sucks on a lot of levels - I was so smitten on Friday. We were exchanging texts, stupid GIFs - even discussing holidays. Sunday was pure gloom. I wondered have I lost the plot l. Was I missing red flags?

His last message was yesterday. He wants an explanation and is angry that I’ve ’ghosted’. I’m not sure if I should give him one but I hate ghosting too. I keep trying to type something and give up. Thought clarity would come with time but I’m still upset. Genuinely could never date a person with his views. Worst part is we don’t live that far from each other. Bethnal Green and Hackney Wick. We like a lot of the same places. Worried I’ll bump into him.

Just have a lot of mixed emotions.

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u/Galaxy-far-away01 — 2 days ago

Where do you actually meet people in 2026?

i’m 23 i know that isn’t old but it’s also just a desert when trying to meet people here. The dating scene was great 5 years ago when i was in uni but now it’s so so bad. I try to go on dating apps and they are seemingly pay to win nowadays.

I try to meet people in person but the only places people go to near me is a local co op and restraint both of which mostly have people in their 60s.

There is one club that shuts at 11pm which is just terrible and again is only used by 40+ people. My own friends all have girlfriends or they don’t speak to women so they aren’t options either.

The only places people my age even seem to go is to mcdonald’s or the gym. So basically i’m gonna have to approach people in line for a big mac lol.

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u/Alone275 — 2 days ago

I need help getting started with dating as I feel like im running out of time

So im 25 and for the last 5 years ive really been wanting to find a partner to go out and do things with and enjoy life. My friends are pretty boring, we only meet once every few months but I dont let that stop me from going out and doing things alone .

Ive always been a bit shy so id want to meet someone through an app or for someone to approach me. But neither has ever happened. I get like 1 like every few months on the apps and if the conversation gets going, it lasts a day before im ghosted.

I cant cold approach people because apparently I mumble even though I feel like im talking clearly and always have to repeat myself. That wouldn't go smoothly when talking to a stranger. And I struggle with coming up with things to say.

Most people my age have multiple exes while I have never been on a first date. I feel like if I leave it any longer, no one wants someone with no experience later in life.

And no one gets it right the first time, so if I do fid someone and it dosent work out, how long will I have to wait again for a second chance.

It makes me really depressed trying to date, when I get nothing but rejection for literal years. I put the effort it for each message but never get anything in return. Can I even say im dating when ive never been on one.

I have a great job and savings, I drive, always dress nice and keep clean, in good shape. Im not sure what more I can do.

I want someone like me, dosent smoke, dosent have kids yet. But even when expand my search to include anyone thag will take me, I still get nothing.

Idk what else to do and Im lost with not much hope left

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u/Least-Moose-2390 — 2 days ago

Is this dating anxiety?

So I (f,37) was widowed 9 years ago. I've casually dated since and had a 6 month relationship with someone who turned out to be an alcoholic in denial and serial liar.

3 weeks ago, I matched with someone. I weirdly knew him when we were at college and thought he was cute but he was dating someone on my course. He said he did vaguely remember me and thought I was cute back then too. As soon as we matched, he wanted to meet. I was a bit sceptical but agreed and we ended up spending 3hrs chatting followed by an awkward hug goodbye. He seemed keen and was messaging fairly frequent and asking questions to get to know me. We've met twice more since but due to crazy working hours, it's been very late at night and weve just sat jn the car chatting.

He's explained a bit about his dating history and he's had some mental health struggles recently and to say he's been through a rough time is an understatement. Hes also admitted to chatting to others but isn't meeting anyone. And hes told me he's keen to see where things go with us.

Here's where it gets confusing. He's stopped replying as quickly as he was (sometimes is 5+hrs), I asked about going on a proper date, he asked what I'd like to do so I gave him a few suggestions and he said he'll sort something. I then asked him what his availability was the rest of this week as I was trying to make plans with a couple mates and he said he was trying to sort cover for work and he'd sort something. I've told him I'm not chatting to anyone else as it's too much energy but it's fine if he was. Even though it's only been a short time, I do genuinely like him. Does it sound like he's not interested? Or am I coming on too strong and scaring him off? I have a constant knot in my stomach. There's only been one other guy I was like this with and I married him and we'd still be together had he not passed away.

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u/throw_away-2013 — 1 day ago

46yr old male starting again.

Hello all.

I'm 46yr old guy starting again due to losing my wife to cancer, where do I start as its all changed so very much I just don't know what to do??

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u/mondobadger — 2 days ago

Are medical students an absolute nightmare to date or be friends with?

what is the most chaotic, unhinged, or awkward experience you've had dating or hanging out with a medical student?

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u/Vibez-n-Vitalz — 1 day ago

M59 Intelligent, Tall, Starting on apps. Why is it so hard to meet people? Where do I start looking and can I mention an interest in kink early in a profile ?

M59 Starting on apps. Which UK apps are suited for my age.

​Alright, I’m looking to get back out there and want to know which apps actually have "quality" people left on them. I’m not really the "quiet life" type.

I'm 6ft, Ex-army outdoors type arty intelligent but also into the kink scene but want monogamy.

My question

​Is Bumble still the best for finding independent women?

Is it worth trying adding kink friendly on a mainstream profile and just keep my bio honest?

​The basics/assets:

​Physique: I’m 6ft+ and keep myself athletic. Big into WW kayaking, biking, and dancing.

​Stability: Got my own house, my own car, and I’m financially sorted.

​Me : Ex-military with a big life story. I’m pretty arty, play guitar, and I’ve got a hippie van for escaping into the wild.

​Personality : Intelligent, charming (mostly!), and definitely "not always vanilla" when it comes to chemistry. I'd like find a partner who can also take control a strong woman who can lead on ocassion. Equality in life and Bedroom.

So I suppose I have some characteristics that hopefully women find attractive.

​What’s working for you guys at the moment? Cheers.

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u/ConfidentTallGuyUK — 2 days ago

How to compromise on trips away

Travel is my biggest hobby. Before I met my fiancée I was going away with friends probably 3 out of every 4 weekends plus 3-4 longer trips a year - which I now accept was too much, financially and physically, but I loved it.

Early on we agreed I'd reduce my trips to alternate weekends, which felt reasonable. After we moved in together she felt that was still a bit too much, so we compromised on 2 long trips a year plus 2 months with 2 short trips each.

I've just been put on gardening leave for 3 months. During that period already had a long trip and a couple of weekends planned, according to our agreement. But with so much extra free time I suggested an impromptu 8 day trip next month - to her first, before even mentioning it to friends.

She got upset that this was the "first thing" I thought of doing with the time. I don't think that's quite fair - one of the first things I actually suggested was extending a weekend away we already had planned together. The gardening leave was unexpected (I thought I'd work my full notice), so I'm not sure how I could have anticipated wanting to revisit our compromise.

She said she "wouldn't want to stop me" and it's "my decision" - but that feels like a slight copout. If I don't go, she can say she let me; if I do go, I still feel like she didn't want me to. I've booked the trip now but I'm still left feeling a bit guilty.

When I asked what bothers her most about me being away, she mentioned chores not getting done, cooking alone, and not spending quality time together. I offered to do chores immediately before and after, prepare frozen meals for her, and doing video calls to watch something together a few times. She didn't really say anything to that.

Her main hobby is streaming and gaming. She sometimes streams 7+ hours on a weekend, or most of a weekday evening. I fully support her - bringing her food, not interrupting, encouraging her when she's not motivated. She's also ill more often than most people and I of course look after her when that happens. I'm happy to do both, but I do wish the support felt more mutual when it comes to my hobby.

She feels our agreement is set and therefore it was effectively unfair for me to seek to 'reopen' it. But I feel it has to be contextual - if she were ill I'd cancel any trip without a second thought, regardless of the fact it's been "agreed" I can go.

She says that's different because that would be unplanned, and I can partially see that, but the gardening leave wasn't exactly planned either and it feels like this was a rare opportunity to spend more time doing what I love without worrying about annual leave and timings.

I'd love to go with her but she's not really interested in travel. It's not that she doesn't trust me, but just the being away that bothers her. This is the only thing we don't see eye to eye on; we are very compatible in everything else so this is nowhere near breaking up territory.

What's a fair compromise here?

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u/AIAC_imposed — 2 days ago

Do you ever get used to sharing a life with someone?

Newly married and I still feel like I’m getting used to sleeping next to someone. I end up feeling too lazy to keep up with my personal care like nails, eyebrows etc when I would keep on top of it when I lived at home.

It isn’t helping that we are staying at my father in laws house while we sort out our house. It just feels like being on a trip without home comforts and getting by on the bare minimum. I don’t wake up early to get ready like I used to, I just get up when he does and rush to get ready for work. I just feel so icky sometimes.

How do you make time for yourself?

Edit; we’re 27 and 28. Been together just under 2 years.

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u/Horrobla — 2 days ago

How to deal with partner constantly on their phone?

I've (36F) been with my partner (43M) for 15 years now. He's always been a scroller but it's become unbearably noticeable for the past few years now. When we put a movie on the TV he will sit there watching videos on his phone. When we go to the pub for a drink he'll sit on his phone and ignore me. If he's not on his phone he'll start talking about some video he saw then get his phone out and we all have to sit there for 2-3 minutes watching this stupid video. I have known him to come home from work and sit on the sofa scrolling literally non-stop for 2 or 3 hours.

I've brought it up a few times now but there'll always be some sort of excuse or justification like "well you were on your phone" just because I looked on Facebook for 10 minutes.

I'd say it might be an addiction but the thing is he can quite easily put the phone away and sit and have a conversation with other people, it's just when he's around me the phone comes out.

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u/Repulsive-Ad-8339 — 2 days ago

I (M24) don't want my girlfriend (F24) to go on a girl's holiday to Ibiza. Am I being too controlling? Update

We broke up.

We discussed it last night, she wasn't happy with my concerns.

My girlfriend phoned her friends. She gave them the address to my apartment and invited them over to talk to me (without telling me in advance). Two of her three friends came over. They were all dressed up, they must have been at the club or bar because they were drunk too.

It got pretty uncomfortable, one of her friends was pretty unpleasant. She started getting in my face basically saying I was controlling, insecure AH, whilst trashing my place and threatening to break my things. My girlfriend just walked into another room. At some point I called her to help me get her friends out of my place, but she ignored me. She barely said or did anything the whole time her friends were here.

This drunk friend started saying messed up stuff along the lines of "they're going to make sure she cheats on me as revenge for me being such an a controlling AH" (which didn't make much sense to me - surely that proves my point that the holiday is a bad idea).

Anyway I started threatening to call the police just to get them to leave my apartment and fortunately the other drunk friend convinces the aggressive one to leave.

After they left, my girlfriend apologises saying she didn't realise they were drunk when she invited them over. I'm just exhausted at this point, so I just go to sleep on the couch.

This morning I found a massive scratch down the side of my car. Her friend keyed my car. I tell my girlfriend and she basically says "how do you know her friend did it". Well it wasn't there yesterday. I ask my girlfriend to give me her friends number and I can probably get a confession out of her but my girlfriend refuses, still insisting "that anyone could have stratched my car last night".

Anyway, I talked to my girlfriend about last night: giving her friends the address to my apartment and inviting them over to shout out me. And then not helping me when her friend started trashing my place. My girlfriend basically said "I'm sorry for my friends behaviour last night, but she's also right" and she's still going on the holiday.

So yeah, single girls holiday it is then.

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u/outcastreturns — 3 days ago

Anyone advice me for get a women

I am deaf 25M actually I can fully speak by mouth and use fewer signs, I am looking for Mingle and hearing people between 25 and 29 years old, I tried lots of dating apps but nobody likes me, I don't know what I'm doing now.

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u/Contact_Puzzleheaded — 3 days ago

Did I jump the gun ending things, or was I right to walk away? Can't stop thinking about what could have been

TL;DR: Met a girl on Hinge, two amazing dates, genuine connection, messed up at the end of the second date, she went cold, I ended it before our third date happened. She responded warmly and mentioned her travelling plans as a reason it wouldn't work. Now I can't stop wondering if I gave up too soon on something real.

---

We matched at the end of March and from the very first date I knew this girl was different.

I don't say that lightly. I genuinely struggle to catch feelings. I've questioned whether I even really experience them properly sometimes. But from the moment I met this girl in person something just clicked immediately. The chemistry was instant, conversation never stopped, everything felt completely natural. I left that first date genuinely excited about someone for the first time in a long time.

Second date was even better. Drinks and bowling. We made out, the chemistry was undeniable, we were taking pictures and videos all night just to remember it. It felt like something real was building.

Then I messed up at the end of the night.

Without going into too much detail I'd driven to the date because I was running late due to bad traffic and arrived about thirty minutes late. Because we were going for drinks I hadn't mentioned I'd driven. As the night went on I started feeling really tired and knew I wanted to head home. I couldn't leave my car in town but I also didn't want her thinking I was drink driving so when my sister offered to pick me up I used that as my reason for leaving. The problem was I'd already told her earlier we'd share an Uber home, and she had the impression the night was going to go on much longer than it did. She was visibly annoyed when she left. I waited until she was safely in her Uber before I left and apologised there and then. She accepted it in the moment but I could feel something had shifted.

I apologised properly the next morning. She accepted it and said I had things to make up for, which I took as her leaving the door open.

But after that everything changed. Replies slowed down massively. She stopped asking questions entirely. I was carrying every conversation. Asked to FaceTime twice, both times she had an excuse. It was just weeks of hot and cold with no real explanation.

At the same time though, it wasn't completely dead either, which is part of why I'm struggling so much with this. Sometimes she still took initiative. If I asked to meet up and she genuinely couldn't do that day, she wouldn't just brush me off immediately, she'd sometimes suggest another date instead. She'd randomly send me memes or videos on different social media platforms about things we'd spoken about before. There were still moments where it felt like she was thinking about me and wanted to keep some kind of connection going, which made the mixed signals even harder to read.

Everything had been going absolutely amazingly until that night. And I just can't shake the feeling that one bad moment at the end of an otherwise perfect date derailed something that could have been genuinely special.

As Sunday got closer she still hadn't confirmed our plans. I double texted, she left it on delivered for a day, came back with a long explanation about being busy and still didn't confirm. Just said she'd let me know.

I ended it. Told her it didn't feel like it was progressing, that we had different communication styles, that it was probably best to leave it there.

She responded warmly. Said she'd been thinking about bringing it up herself and that she felt our life plans didn't align given that she wants to travel and live abroad. Said she agreed with everything I said and that it was nice getting to know me.

And here's what I can't get past. The travelling thing was never an issue before. It never came up as a barrier. Everything was pointing forward until that second date ended the way it did. So was that the real reason? Or was it just a convenient exit after something shifted between us that night?

Now I'm sitting here wondering if I jumped the gun. Should I have waited until Sunday actually happened? Should I reach out again and just be honest about how I feel? I had a genuine connection with this girl, the kind I rarely feel, and it just feels like a massive missed opportunity of something real slipping away because of one bad moment.

Part of me wants to just pour my heart out to her. Tell her that I think what we had was rare and worth another shot. But I also don't know if that's just me being naive and emotional about something that was already over.

Did I end it too soon? And is reaching back out ever worth it or does it just make things worse?

I just need some closure and I don't know how to get it.

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u/Equivalent-Ad-2373 — 3 days ago

Apathy towards dating

I am 25m and whether I’m on the apps or meeting people IRL I have an apathy towards dating or even talking to women in general. I often wonder what’s the actual point a lot of women are scarred from dating understandable and the rest are overly cautious because of the horror stories and I’m pretty sure that the rest are somewhere inbetween. So I find myself wondering what’s the point in going up to a woman and trying to talk to them and trying to get to know them etc when I could really just mind my business and get on with my own life. Only issue is I actually want a relationship wife kids big house etc. so my current attitude and feeling towards dating is not good for my future goals

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u/POCKETCHANGE1276 — 3 days ago

I don’t think my partner cheated, but I still feel massively betrayed. How do I move forward?

Apologies for the length. I'm not good at being concise.

I (45M) have been with my partner (45F) for about 14 years and we have two children together.

My partner has always had very strong opinions about platonic friendships with members of the opposite sex. Specifically, she has always said she finds them weird, inappropriate and suspicious. Personally, I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with those friendships.

She also has a lot of unresolved anger around her late father's affair and subsequent divorce, along with fairly low self-esteem. I've long felt that her deep suspicion and insecurity around platonic opposite-sex friendships stems from that. Essentially: if her father could have an affair, then men in general can't really be trusted.

When we first got together, one of my closest friends was a woman. I'll call her "Susan". Susan and I had met about five years earlier and we slept together a few times over a brief period. It was something that I regretted, and we mutually agreed we were better off as friends. From that point onwards, the friendship was entirely platonic, and it became an important close friendship for me. And we retained a close, supportive friendship over the next few years, during which time Susan met someone, got married, started a family.

We’d maybe meet once every month or two for a beer and a chat about life, books, whatever; go to the cinema from time to time in a group which included Susan, her husband and other friends. So, by the time my partner and I met, that platonic friendship dynamic had already been firmly established for a couple of years. I was always completely transparent with my partner about the friendship, it's history, and every aspect of our communication. I regarded it as a complete non-issue. Susan spoke very positively about my new partner and was entirely supportive of the relationship.

My partner, meanwhile, was very uncomfortable with the friendship and clearly felt threatened by it. It lead to many arguments. In practice, I felt I had a choice between constantly justifying the friendship against accusations that I wasn't fully committed, or letting the friendship die. I wanted the relationship to work and I was serious about her, so with a some sadness I allowed the friendship with Susan to fade away and cease. Essentially, I lost an important friendship in order to comply with boundaries that I didn't really believe in myself.

In the 12 years or so since then, my partner has quite frequently accused me, directly or indirectly, of not being fully committed or somehow being at risk of infidelity. This is despite the fact that I can honestly say I'm probably one of the least "player-like" men I know. I'm also very aware of her sensitivities around the subject and try to behave in ways that reassure her.

For example, just the other week she accused me of "not having her back" because she believed I was Facebook friends with a female friend of hers she'd fallen out with years earlier. I barely even use Facebook, never particularly liked this woman in the first place, and when I actually checked - it turned out I wasn't friends with her anyway.

Another time, she was buying something online and the checkout page had a random postcode pre-populated, for some unknown reason. She accused me of having previously bought something for a mystery woman and saved the address. Which makes absolutely no sense for multiple reasons, but it gives you an idea of the pattern.

Over many years I've felt viewed through a lens of suspicion, where my actual behaviour seems less important than some underlying assumption that, as a man, I'm inherently prone to cheating.

Fast forward to a few days ago:

We're having dinner, everything seems fine. My partner goes upstairs while me and the kids continue chatting. About an hour later she comes back downstairs in a really angry, snappy mood, which ends up causing an argument. I'm annoyed by the sudden shift in atmosphere and the impact it's had on the evening. I ask what’s wrong, but she won’t say.

I've never done this before, and I'm not proud of it, but I ended up checking her phone after guessing her pin. I wasn't expecting to find much beyond maybe some Googling or messages that explained why she'd suddenly switched in mood. It'd been happening a lot in recent days and I think my frustration got the better of me.

Instead, I found a Facebook Messenger chat going back about 20 years with a man whose name I recognised. She had previously mentioned having had a crush on him when she was much younger, but she had never told me she was still in contact with him.

There's no outright infidelity in the messages. His tone is occasionally a bit flirty, and the contact itself is infrequent, usually brief exchanges every six months or so. It looks like they were in light contact (via messenger only) before my partner and I got together, then didn't speak for several years before reconnecting a few years into our relationship.

But the messages are emotionally warm. They share thoughts and feelings around important life events, there are kisses at the ends of some of his messages to her (though not reciprocated), that sort of thing.

However, this is clearly an intentionally concealed friendship. She had kept it entirely hidden from me.

And while I don't personally see the messages themselves as constituting infidelity, I'm absolutely certain that if the roles were reversed and I had been sending those messages to another woman, my partner would have gone absolutely nuclear, as in: relationship-ending levels of anger.

I was furious. I feel like I've spent years abiding by her very strict boundaries around opposite-sex friendships, sacrificed an important friendship because of those boundaries, and denied myself exactly the kind of light emotional connection and sharing that she herself has quietly been maintaining through this hidden friendship. And despite all that, I've still spent years being treated as fundamentally untrustworthy.

Discovering that the standard apparently doesn't apply equally to her has made me incredibly angry.

It has also damaged my trust in her. I would genuinely have bet the house that she wasn't the kind of person who would maintain this sort of hidden friendship, precisely because she has expressed such strong opinions about them for so many years. It turns out she was doing exactly that, just privately.

When I confronted her, there was initially a lot of defensiveness and deflection, including attempts to equate her hidden messages with my old friendship with Susan. Eventually, though, she accepted that she had been wrong to keep this Messenger friendship secret. She apologised and said she would delete the messages and remove him from Facebook, though that wasn't something I requested, and I haven't confirmed whether it's actually been done.

I told her that wasn't really the point. The issue isn't the specific content of the messages. It's the double standard, the secrecy, and the years of distrust directed at me while she herself was crossing the boundaries she insisted upon.

That conversation happened around 24 to 48 hours ago. Since then, neither of us has mentioned it again, though the atmosphere has clearly been frosty. She has switched into a fairly angry, resentful mode around domestic chores and my own distant mood.

It feels as though the discomfort, shame or frustration she feels is now being redirected back at me in the form of anger and resentment, rather than accountability. And so far as I can tell her attitude is: "I apologised, we talked about it, it's done".

Personally, I don't feel that's adequate. I regard this as quite a significant breach of trust that merits genuine self-reflection and some acknowledgement that I'm not simply going to process and move on from it overnight. I'm not really sure what that would look like, though.

At this point I honestly don't know how best to move forward. I don't want to weaponise this mistake or use it as a permanent stick to beat her with. But equally, I don't want to minimise it or simply brush it aside either.

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u/Optimal-Room-8586 — 3 days ago

Can a guy be a bad texter but still interested?

Ever since I met this guy, he been a bad texter from the get go.

He will text you first with a ‘hey how’s your day?’ I will respond fairly quickly with an engaging response. And then he won’t reply, sometimes messages a few days later with a completely different topic. When planning date logistics though, he’s quick to reply.

I’m someone who is quite anxious in dating, I see slow replies as confirmation that someone doesn’t like me and I find it confusing.

My last reply to him when he asked how I was feeling after a night out the night before I replied ‘I’m actually
I dunno. He’s also 40 and I’m 30 and I don’t know if it’s just a difference in communication style. Can anyone advise?

I’m 30 and never managed to get a boyfriend!

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u/Informal-Meaning-483 — 4 days ago