@ Arafat Scarf
Well done on keeping a level head about the whole affair. I'd also like to voice my appreciation for the wisdom of the group.
We all have different boundaries for relationship behaviours and ways to manage these. Speaking from experience, it's very useful to have a variety of perspectives to refer to.
Quote: (09-18-2018 12:57 PM)arafat scarf Wrote:
Do you make a direct disapproving remark and let it ride from there? (Me)
Do you say nothing at all, let things unfold and let her character reveal itself? (Noir)
Do you take the heavy hand with standards and ultimatums and announce that her behavior is totally unacceptable? (Phinaes)
Do you try to discourage the situation in some way? (ksbms)
Or do you just drop her completely? (the.king)
I still don't know.
Perhaps the tone of my earlier post comes across to you as heavy-handed, even reactive. You misunderstand me. I simply mean asserting how it is you feel about her behaviour and whether that is acceptable to you or not. No LTR can be fun and sparkles 100% of the time. And I agree with Noir and others: There is zero gain to be had by behaving reactively.
And by that I mean you being attached to a certain behavioural outcome from her. People usually attempt this by becoming angry, raising their voice, or even (god forbid) pleading or supplicating.
The way I would play it is keeping calm, confident, and matter-of-fact. Don't seek to punish her emotionally or act passive-aggressively. And don’t try to "make her" do anything – I wouldn't give her an ultimatum. I would state the plain truth: That I don't feel comfortable with her staying with her friend, and that I am uncertain as to how it will impact the future of the relationship.
Quote: (09-18-2018 12:57 PM)arafat scarf Wrote:
Like I mentioned, The way I decided to handle it since last week was to tell her during one of our video chats that I don't like the situation - that it crosses a line for me.
Well, if you delivered this without emotionally over-reaching, then you did well.
Again, you are not reacting, your are responding. Taking ownership of how you want to run your life, and your relationships. In my experience, girls respect this. A lot. I would go so far as to call it a DHV in LTRs.
In turn, her response will be very telling, as as Noir said, you can read her character much better by her response.
Quote: (09-18-2018 12:57 PM)arafat scarf Wrote:
she offered to find other accommodation
This is a win. It sounds as though she respects you enough and may care about the longevity of the LTR. Of course, it may not be the truth, but you would know that (again, her past behaviour).
Quote: (09-18-2018 12:57 PM)arafat scarf Wrote:
told her that option wasn't good because I know it'll make her resentful. I said the position she put me in isn't a good one, but that I'd prefer she stay with him and that we'll wait and see
This is a fail. You are not respecting the same intuitions that made you bring up the whole thing in the first place. If you weren't interested in her finding a solution to this problem, then why did you bring it up? It is also a demonstration of weak will - not attractive.
Quote: (09-18-2018 12:57 PM)arafat scarf Wrote:
Since that moment when I expressed my disapproval, I've been sparse in my communications with her. No continuous dialogue, no affection, just tritely positive 'Have fun!' type messages or a photo once every 2-3 days. She'd ask questions about the photos and what I was up to but I've been blowing them off.
Now you're being passive aggressive. Is this really the sort of communication you want in your LTRs? Lead by example (@Dream Medicine)
Quote: (09-18-2018 12:57 PM)arafat scarf Wrote:
Then I joked that she shouldn't have too much 'boomboom' with her roomie. Warning her against having too much 'boomboom' even had me laughing about the situation…
Needy. The ship had already sunk (@Dalaran), now the wreckage is being plundered for whatever little treasure remained…
Quote: (09-18-2018 12:57 PM)arafat scarf Wrote:
We got on a chat later, and she was unnerved and started asking if what I said was a joke. I told her to relax, I was just having a good time and that I wanted to use the word 'boomboom' in a sentence. She got somewhat serious and she insisted that she only wants me, so on and so forth. I told her okay I hear you, no more jokes lets be very serious now. I didn't apologize, but I did concede that if she doesn't like those kinds of jokes I won't make them. I changed the subject to something else playful and kept the chat light and fun. Basically gave her the loose, fun player vibe though inside I felt heavy.
She's staying in her own room and the other dude is across the hall. Like Noir said, if her intentions are bad, she likely wouldn't have mentioned anything about staying with the guy - she would've probably lied before and she would be lying now. My gut instinct has me believing that there's nothing in play here and that she's really just staying with a guy who she's already friend-zoned. Of course, I could be wrong, but this is the situation as it appears to me.
You're attempting to damage-control some pretty severe damage. I disagree with Noir in this instance, simply because I've known girls who have played the LTR game and still openly met with lots of "friends" who were, without a shade of doubt, hook-ups. Again her insistence of being faithful is "nice" but isn't very informative – she could be playing you or not. Refer again: Her past actions.
Quote: (09-18-2018 12:57 PM)arafat scarf Wrote:
For now and going forward I'll be distantly positive and playful. Maybe the occasional gesture of affection if I feel like it, but I'm tilting calculating and cold on the inside. I won't make a scene or bring up the topic...
...At some point in another conversation, I'll bring up the fact that her staying with that guy still doesn't sit right, and that if she likes to do things like stay at guys' houses or if I get a feeling that something in the winds are changing for her then I'll instinctively go back to 'a more natural state of having fun with people who come into our lives'. I think she'll get the picture. And if she pulls any kind of suspicious shit again, I'll make good on it and run around on her like a track athlete.
I think you are delaying a decision on what you want out of this relationship and that comes at an opportunity cost to you, especially given your age.
From what you have written there are no serious deal-breakers for her being LTR material but there are glaring questions.
I would charm her. And at the right moments dig deep for her values, her past relationship behaviour, her family upbringing, her opinion towards family values, etc. And in that context I would judge if I would feel comfortable with her travelling alone or not.
You wouldn't need to bring up the trip again to know if she is a keeper or not. My intuition says not.
As I ended my last post, solo travel may be this LTR's fall from grace into the muddy depths of distrust.
And without trust you don't have an exclusive LTR… you have a plate.