Ask Lemmy

What in the world? You are in a relationship with them. You can't live with, sleep in the same bed with, be best friends with, and do sexual stuff with someone and not be in a relationship! What do you think a relationship is?!

You say you don't want a relationship with them but what on Earth would you change if you entered into a "relationship" with them? Just your perspective and a label from the sounds of it.

I feel as though you need to reassess where you're actually at in this. Think about what a relationship means to you and why this person cannot fit that role for you.

And above all, you need to talk to them about this and ask if they think you're in a relationship. Because you might need to "break up" with them regardless of how you feel about it

This is already a relationship. A non-sexual one, but still. Even a very strong one.

In a relationship, when the two are on such different levels (as indicated somewhat as "hard times"), then a crisis is unavoidable, sooner or later.

You want to do your own thing. That is very OK and normal. Just be prepared that the way out is going to hurt, for a while.

I can't even imagine how my friend would take it.

OK, OK, time out. You haven't tried talking with them about it? If you have as strong a mutual (platonic(ish?)) relationship with them as you say you do, then it should be able to survive a serious conversation about your shared future, especially if you emphasize that you want to try to keep them in your life in a major way like this.

That conversation will probably be hard, and I really can't think of a solution that would feel perfect if I were in your shoes, but I would sure as hell rather have that conversation than the "I made a decision, and here is how you will be impacted" one, or the "I kept my life on hold because I was worried how you might react to talking about it" one.

I don't know your personality or your friend's personality, so I can't promise that you will sort it all out without emotions running high, or what the ultimate outcome of such a conversation will be.

But jeez, bud, you've GOT to be able to have serious talks with people whom you trust and care about.

Can't have your cake and eat it too, you can choose one or the other, but if you pretend that both are possible you might hurt and get hurt.

It sucks but I don't think there is a way for your current relationship (since it is one) to remain pleasent while going for another

Also, maybe have a talk with your friend, figure out what you are to eachother

You tell your best friend what you need and they will either understand or take a different path in life.

It's quite simple really.

I'm usually on the "no, that girl who smiled at you because she's a friendly person didn't lead you on" side, but you bought a bed together and do sex stuff, even if you haven't had actual sex...

That doesn't mean you owe them forever, or even now, but you're a big part of the reason for their emotions here.

Start by broaching the separate beds, IMO. Then give a little time before dating, if you want to minimize pain.

You don’t

You have lived with diffuse boundaries for some time and are now reaping the penalties. You can and should proceed with care and grace as you implement boundaries and define roles to move to where you want to be but it is absolutely foolish to think that it will not be at least a little hurtful to your pseudo partner.

they will implement their boundaries in response to changes you are proposing; you have to respect these. If they chose to leave and tell you to fuck off then you have learned a valuable lesson in why you shouldn’t let boundaries be so diffuse for so long through so many changing contexts.

It’s not realistic (usually) to expect you to know everything you need and want from a relationship up front but when contexts change you need to clarify what is and is not okay. If you’re okay with keeping it casual after things don’t work out that’s fine but make sure they’re aware. If they suddenly have to move in consider the boundaries of the situation again: are they still cool with keeping it casual? Are they now that you share a bed? Are they now that you’ve purchased a bed together?

If you’re the one that wants it casual and wants the door open for new relationships it’s your responsibility to make sure your partner is aware of where you stand. One could say your friend/partner is foolish for assuming you’ve changed where you stand, and they’d have a valid point, but one could also say that you’ve been very misleading here. Boundaries need to be enforced and they need to be occasionally reviewed as contexts change, otherwise they fade away

Yeah that's not going to end well. You're basically in a relationship.

I feel bad for your friend.

You seem to treat them as an object to serve your emotional needs and have created a situation where they are dependent on you.

They will probably agree to polyamory out of desperation but it will kill them inside, you aren't doing them a favor.

You don't, I'm sorry. It sounds like the only scenario you'd be happy in is if your friend is happy to share you, although from the sounds of your story your friend wouldn't be happy to share you. Which means one of you wants more in the relationship and haven't cleared business about it. I would recommend you talk this with them. Maybe it can work between you two or maybe you realise your friend isn't as dependent on you as you think. If they're clinging to you but you want to move on please cut those strings, they only become more and more painful with time.

You need therapy to figure out why you’re placing the needs of other people ahead of your own.

Any advice is to hire a competent therapist. If you’re a man, I also advise joining a men’s group.

This kind of compulsion will fuck up your life if you don’t get it figured out.

non-intercourse sex things in bed with your best friend whom you’re keeping around for financial reasons: fuck you got some shit to figure out

This reads as ar anxious attachment and underdeveloped boundaries.

Your needs and wants are valid OP. You deserve autonomy in your own life.

Your friend, intentionally or not, seems to be manipulating you and taking advantage, and you seem to be enabling that.

You should discuss having a partner with them, and what that would look like. They should work with you to promote your needs and wants and fulfillment. That's what friends do.

I don't see anyone commenting from the perspective of that friend, and what being them might be like after you talk to them.

I am currently friends with someone I used to be in love with, but she did not feel the same way, so while we dated a few months, she eventually told me it wasn't going anywhere.

That hurt like hell. But the love and respect I felt and feel for her meant that not spewing a bunch of negative feelings her way was my first concern. If your friend is a wonderful person, they will probably think along similar lines, but you can't let them entirely spare you. Show them you feel with them.

I was probably the saddest I've been, learning it wouldn't work out, and the time after was akward af.

She told me point blank that some of her friends had adviced her to cut me out of her life entirely, that it would be the "kinder" thing to do. Thank the deities she didn't follow that advice as we both still wanted each other in our lives. And we DID make it work.

Maintaining the relationship was extra difficult for a while. Years. We came to a kind of unspoken agreement that our romantic lives were a taboo between us, but we went through the motions of a frienship even as she felt she was walking on glass with how I was hurting, and me essentially pretending to be ok when I wasn't.

That doesn't mean we didn't enjoy each others company throughout that, but we made an effort to focus on good things. If we went into the complicated stuff, there was a feedback-loop of empathy where she'd feel bad because I was hurting, which would make me feel bad for making her feel bad for something which was in no way her fault... Etc.

A thing we did when meeting, was that she'd ask "are you ok" to which I'd reply, "no, but I'm going to be". This way we acknowledged it was there, but buried it most of the time because it was the kind of thing that would get worse the more we dwelled on it. So we didn't.

I spared her any displays of heartache best I could, and she never rubbed her new boyfriend in my face.

Eventually, I came to the realization that I wasn't in love anymore. That hearing about her going on dates or moving in with her SO, didn't cause a twinge of misery. Next time we met, I took up the subject of my former infatuation, and we talked through all the things that had been taboo between us, catching up on things we would have talked about, if not for the need to spare each others feelings. From that day, we've been easy friends, able to talk about everything again.

She told me that conversation was really important, as she wasn't going to put in the extra effort forever. Neither was I, but unlike me she had no way of knowing whether she had to keep it up, unless I told her.

This is to say, when you talk to your friend and figure out how your feelings for each other differ, and what you might want from other people, make a plan for how to get to a new normal, and how you want things to work in-between.

My current friendship with this woman is quite different from the friendship I had before I fell for her, but it's just as stable, if not more so. But the time in-between required a lot of effort, and a couple very honest conversations. In hindsight, I can find a ton of points when we might've just stopped meeting. But neither of us wanted to lose the other. Make that VERY clear. We both told each other, many times, and I think that's why neither of us ever got into the mindset that it would be "kinder" to "let the other go".

I can't help but notice you didn't say anything about how your potential new partner might feel about this. Perhaps you didn't think it was relevant, but that's a huge blind spot if you haven't considered it.

Or try having a relationship with your friend? A relationship is basically a good friendship with shared responsibilities (and sex, if you've got the time). You're almost there already.

Honestly was in a somewhat similar situation with my best friend. They would be the one in your shoes except I'm the one with the house. We aren't sharing a bed or having "not quite sex" but we are close enough and do enough "dating" activities togeather that most people think we're dating and a few people still insist that what we're doing is dating even when we both tell them that we aren't. Your relationship is a bit closer so that will make things sting a bit more.

The answer is to just talk to them. If you are comfortable enough to sleep with eachother then you should be comfortable enough to have difficult conversations. I would personally just start out by bringing up that you want to start dating again and ,while you don't want to kick them out, sharing a bed isn't going to work when you want to bring someone home.

It's going to sting for them; it did for me when my friend started dating again even when I knew us dating wasn't going to happen. But, if they care about being your friend then, they'll get over it; I did. Your relationship with them will change but not necissarily for the worse. Honestly I'm closer with my friend than ever. We've gone from being close best friends to practically being siblings. Hell, I'm closer with them than I ever was with any of my actual family. Yes we both date other people but that doesn't mean we both don't still share everything. Don't try to put the relationship in a box. Be open and honest then just see how it grows/changes. At the same time, every relationship has boundries, don't be afraid to set some.

So, when's the wedding?

You could contextualize the conversation by bringing up how you met and having a retrospective discussion about how and why it didn't work out romantically.

Maybe ask them if they've considered or are interested in seeing other people. This will let you gauge how they feel about it and the current state of your relationship, and also give you an opportunity to bring up how you feel.

Then, the conversation isn't just about you seeing other people but about what's best for the both of you.

Someone will get hurt, there's no avoiding that. But you should not sacrifice your own happiness for the sake of not hurting your friend. Sometimes we need to be a bit selfish in life.

Bit of a different take from many of the other comments.

Relationships don't have to be the way they are traditionally. You don't have to be monogamous. You can be in two relationships, one of which is romantic, one of which is a strong friendship with sexual aspects. It'd be under the polyamory umbrella. There's plenty of potential partners out there who are ok with or would even want this kind of a constellation.

The very important caveat though: even more so than in any other kind of close relationship, this requires a LOT of communication. You need to clarify with your best friend what kind of a relationship it is that you have. You don't have to label it, but you have to figure out together what you want from each other and what your boundaries are. The latter includes what kind of relationships you're ok with the other one having with someone else. Then, when you date someone else, you have to have the same conversations and be open about your other relationship(s). I'd be upfront about the latter, the former can happen over time.

If none of this sounds like something you'd want, that's of course perfectly valid. The point stands though that you need to clarify with each other what you want from your relationship and what your boundaries and needs are. This might mean having to change your relationship dynamic.

Some context: my best friend and I are super close and find each other sexually attractive, but aren't romantically interested in each other. We've talked about that and keep checking in. We've done some second base things and cuddled. I now have a partner that's decidedly monogamous. Now, I might still lightly cuddle with my best friend, but we wouldn't kiss anymore. Those are all boundaries that had to be talked through.

I considered making an alt account for this but couldn't find a server that let me do so without waiting for approval so whatever.

I've been in a very similar situation. Good friend hit a rough patch, moved in with me, a relationship developed but at the same time I knew I'd want to see other people.

The most important thing here is definitely communication. You say you don't know how they would take it so I assume you've never talked about this. So I urge you to talk to them as soon as possible. If you can, do it today. Don't fall into the trap of waiting too long. I've learned that the hard way in a previous relationship where my partner and I had very different plans for the future and, not wanting to upset them, I waited for a good time to bring it up. Guess what, having something so important in the back of your head will strain your relationship to a point where there is no good time to bring it up.

If you don't want to scare them, start with hypotheticals like "how would you feel if I decided to see other people?" then work your way up. Be gentle but be honest. Tell them that wanting to see other people doesn't mean you love them less or that they are not enough. For me, comparing it to other things I love like a favorite food or hobby worked well. Let's say I love cheeseburgers to the point that my friends call me the cheeseburger guy. No matter how much I love cheeseburgers, sometimes I need something else. Eating a pizza doesn't mean I don't love cheeseburgers anymore and I would never want to stop eating cheeseburgers. Just make sure they know you're not comparing them to a cheeseburger unless they're into that.

Find out what they want. Best case, they are in the exact same situation as you and are just as afraid to tell you they want to see someone. Not that likely but possible. Maybe they are okay with you seeing someone but don't want anyone else for themselves. Maybe they want to change your relationship in a way where both of you are happy being the only ones for each other. And maybe it turns out that your plans just aren't compatible. Be prepared for that. Think about if you'd rather give up on your plans or on your friend. Both is fine, it's your life. Not talking about your wishes doesn't make you more compatible, it just builds tension until things go spectacularly wrong.

And most importantly, respect their wishes. If they tell you that they don't want you to date other people, that's absolutely valid. Don't try to persuade them and for the love of everything, don't do it behind their back. Either don't date other people or make sure to end the kind of relationship you have at the moment. Hopefully you can stay friends.

Finally, about that other thing you mention, other potential partners not accepting that you have someone you share your home and even bed with. Don't worry too much about it. When I started dating again, I noticed that there are surprisingly many people out there who are totally fine with being open, poly or whatever you want to call it. Especially on dating apps. I don't know about Tinder but OkCupid even lets you filter for that. Just be honest about it.

Edit: slightly updated some wording after I read some of your replies which made the kind of your current relationship a bit clearer. The original message still stands.

As mentioned before you will need to have some direct conversations with your roommate / best friend. This might be awkward or strange but you can get through it and no matter what the outcome it will be better in the long run. When having these conversations start with saying "this might be awkward or weird", since acknowledging this will remove most of the awkwardness.

First off you need to talk with them about wanting to try to date. Specify that you want them to stay living with you but there might be changes around the house and that you might be bringing people over when its that time. Be upfront about it and let them know. If you are both on the same page about not being in a "relationship" this should not be a problem. (Note: even friendship is a relationship so you two have a relationship just not a boyfriend/girlfriend romantic relationship). Lead with everything you said here "wouldn’t want to sacrifice our relationship just so I can start dating again." is a great start.

When dating make sure to bring up this situation early and as a positive thing, since for the right person this is a huge green flag. In the first few dates when talking about your living situation mention you live with a person who you dated and hooked up with a few time but the romance fizzled and now you are close friends. This should be positive to show you treat your potential sexual/romantic partners as people not objects and will be a good way to weed out people who are too jealous of your situation. If someone doesn't want to see you after this disclosure you don't want to be with that person. Make sure any potential dates gets to meet your roommate early to see you can interact with opposite gender people as friends. (Note: I am assuming you are mixed genders since this is a complete non-issue in queer spaces). Hiding your roommate / best friend won't help anyone.

As you get to know your dates longer once you get to the "relationship" and monogamy opt-in moment (3 to 6 months in) make sure you have an explicit conversation about it. What does this mean for you and them and what is and isn't allowed. This might mean no more sexual situations with your roommate / best friend but might not. Same with cuddling and snuggling with your roommate / best friend. At this point any new "boyfriend / girlfriend" and roommate / best friend should know each other and can judge what that means to them.

This slightly more complicated to everyone else but not by much. Your situation isn't anything crazy and shouldn't be a deal breaker. Just talk about it. You got this!!!!

I have so many questions, but some of the more important ones:

• Is this person of the opposite gender (of whatever gender you're supposed to be attracted to)? I assume so, but do correct me otherwise.
• What does this person think of the nature of your relationship with them? Are you two clear that it's plutonic?
• How could you share a bed and not develop feelings?
• You care so much about this person, how much does this person care about you?