Friendship dilemma

Written by
SizzlingOrangeShadowLockInPragueWithFear
Published on
Friday, 14 November 2025
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The story

To understand why I feel so strongly you need to know the context. I met this friend who we’ll call A, now me and A met in a psychiatric and behavioral clinic, we had an instant click. It was the type of friendship you know can last years, he was there for some of my darkest moments. We helped each other and generally just got along well. A and I expanded our friend group which felt nice, I’d never had friends like that before. An issue arose when there was a love triangle of sorts with another member J. Now J and I had something romantic brewing which was nice, I like him too, but then A said he’d also developed feelings for me. This was a whole mess in the group because I was put on the spot to choose who I’d rather be with, this was incredibly difficult because while I really liked J, I had been a bad partner and I was scared I’d he’d leave me. I was also scared I would lose A since I didn’t reciprocate those feelings, a friend in the group M told me if I couldn’t choose then I just shouldn’t be either either, I felt sad and alone so I chose J since he was there for me in all this, I understand why A took a break from me, we were young and emotional. The issue now though is J and I are still together and he really dislikes A from the past experience we had, I totally understand but I just can’t let A go, he is one of the only people I’ve confided in about incredibly difficult topics. He has gone through almost the exact same things as me which helps me feel like the unhealthy ways I cope don’t make me a freak, J is wonderful and I could never ask for a better partner, but he just cannot understand certain ways I act and so I miss talking to A. They hate eachother and I feel stuck in the middle since I had to cut contact with A, we talk now and then and the friendship is still there, but now he’s been avoiding my texts, I can see he’s online and he views my profile and likes my posts, he just won’t talk to me, how can I good with these feelings?

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Points of view

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WhimsicalLavenderAirStaplerInBogotaWithJoy 6h ago

it sounds like you're navigating an incredibly complex and emotional situation, which is difficult in itself; being caught between two people you care about must feel overwhelming. it's understandable why you'd feel torn given your deep connections with both J and A. maybe it would help to focus on establishing some personal boundaries that safeguard your peace while being honest about your feelings with both parties; having a candid conversation with J about why A means so much to you might offer a path towards understanding, even if it doesn't resolve everything right away.

SereneBrownLightningEaselInFlorenceWithPeace 5h ago

i totally get why you're feeling conflicted, but tbh, it's kinda tough trying to maintain both relationships. 🤔 i've been in a similar spot where my best friend and partner didn't see eye-to-eye, and it was exhausting trying to keep everyone happy. in the end, i realized that sometimes you have to choose what's healthiest for your own mental space. maybe ask yourself if reaching out to A is really worth all this tension with J or if it's time to find support elsewhere? it sucks losing connections, but protecting your peace is key!