The Other Person

"Ever since you had a girlfriend, we're not close anymore."
"Does your girlfriend not like me? Is that why we're not best friends anymore?"

How would you respond when your other half's long time best friend presents him/her with that question?

They've been a tight unit way before you came into the picture - been through ups and downs and grew up together and have seen each other at their worst. For most girls whose boyfriends have such a relationship with another lady before them, would a tinge of insecurity. It's the thought that, one day he will realise that his childhood friend has always been the love of his life. Sadly, that's how much movies and the media have manipulated our thinking.

I'm somewhat sitting on the fence on this matter. At times, I feel there should be some boundaries once your best friend (of the opposite sex) has a partner. No more sleepovers, no more pet names, no more pinching each other's asses, no more sitting on each other's laps, etc. And sometimes, I feel that we're living in this 'new age' philosophical-bordering the 70s free willy lifestyle that, it's fine because the trust is there and both of them are just platonic friends. Right?

Many have claimed that a male and a female can never share a platonic relationship. Ultimately, it will always lead to tangled emotions and then more. Either that, or these people are those who have had their hearts broken when their partners ran back to their childhood best friends.

I have been faced with a similar situation, but I am not sure if the other person is right about me not being happy about the friendship or they are just being overtly sensitive. Because truth be told, at times I do get jealous of their relationship and the stories and experiences they have shared. And I too sometimes wondered if one day they would realise that they are soulmates and run off towards the sunset together. But I know for a fact that I definitely do not dislike her. I just don't know her well enough and vice versa.

Human relationships are really very complex. All made even more complicated by the confusing web of human emotions. Perhaps all of us should realise that the start of a new relationship doesn't mean the end of an old one. It just means that people around should give some breathing space for this new relationship to bloom into its own flower on its own ground.