A lot of times people never want to see each other again after a romantic relationship ends.

But in today’s story, a former couple manages to actually keep their friendship going after they break up.

The problem is that the new partner in the picture is really uncomfortable with the former couple hanging out together.

Does the new partner have trust issues, or is hanging out with an ex a bad idea?

Let’s see how the story plays out…

AITA for ‘critiquing’ my partners post about me when discussing the responses?

When I first met my partner “P” I was open about my friend “F” being someone that I had once had a casual relationship with.

F and I were just friends before and after anything intimate occurred, and it stopped happening on its own.

(we didn’t continue until meeting other people or anything like that, we stopped and went back to just being friends).

I could tell that P wasn’t super comfortable with this, but I knew they had bad previous experiences with being cheated on and also that trust is earned.

I hoped that in time (and with demonstrated faithfulness) this wouldn’t be an issue.

It was awkward hanging out with P and F.

I didn’t push to maintain a friendship without P’s involvement.

One day a group of us went out for a drink, with P coming along and meeting these friends for the first time.

P got along with some, but things with F were awkward.

P felt uncomfortable.

At one point, F was making some bawdy jokes.

Not to me, just talking with the group at the other end of the table.

P became very uncomfortable and spent the rest of the evening withdrawn and staring at the pub TV.

I didn’t speak up at the time because there were multiple convos happening and the jokes weren’t directed at us at all.

So I didn’t think much of it until later realising how withdrawn P had become.

He stopped hanging out with F.

After this point my friendship with F faded.

We caught up one time when I returned an item that I had borrowed previously, which I discussed with P.

They said it was OK, they didn’t expect me to just drop it on Fs doorstep and bail without catching up for a bit.

I felt that this was positive and showed trust, however any active friendship with F was pretty much in the past at this point.

F wants to reconnect.

Now, years later, F reaches out asking how I’m doing, hoping I’m well.

I respond in kind, and F asks if I’d like to catch up.

I bring it up with P before responding, letting them know that I’d like to.

Thought it would be OK as we’ve had no issues with infidelity, and I’m sure that I’ve never given any signs that I would be unfaithful or anything like that.

P is using social media to claim that he is cheating.

Now the jerk moment.

P posted about it on a support forum specifically for people with bad partners.

Words it as “my partner suddenly wants to start hanging out with someone they used to sleep with, who has only ever been incredibly rude to me.”

Then shows me the responses, which almost all say that I am clearly cheating, I am trash, throw me out.

And now P is upset that I am “critiquing their post” when I point out that the wording would make me think that someone is cheating too, and the replies might be biased.

I’m open to discussing the replies but I think it’s a valid observation that affects the discussion.

He wonders if it was wrong to criticize P’s post.

P asked me how I would feel if it were reversed, and I told them that I would be absolutely fine with it because I trust them.

P doesn’t seem to believe me.

AITA for bringing this up and then “critiquing” the post that P made to ask for advice?

I might be invalidating their feelings by doing so, but I don’t know how to discuss the responses without discussing that part.

It seems like he is doing exactly what P did, turning to social media about this situation to see who is right and who is wrong.

Let’s see whose side Reddit takes…

They need to talk about this.

This reader asks a difficult question…

Here’s another vote for talking it out.

P feels insecure.

He should show P these comments.

There needs to be trust in a relationship, and this relationship clearly doesn’t have it.

It makes one wonder it there’s any point in continuing.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.