April 24, 2025
By: Jason Rivera

When I first started dating my girlfriend, everything felt easy. She was so sweet, everything just clicked between us, and I couldn’t imagine ever feeling anything but happy with her. I developed a huge crush on her, and from there, it only got better. For the first year, we didn’t even fight. It was like we were made for each other.

But something’s changed. Lately, it feels like we’ve been drifting. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when things started to fall apart, but the small stuff that never mattered before now feels like everything. We fight all the time—over nothing, really. It could be something trivial like what to have for dinner, and we end up arguing. I don’t know if we’re just losing our connection, or if we’ve hit a rough patch that’s harder to get out of than I thought.

And then there’s this other girl I’m friends with. She’s nothing like my girlfriend, but we click in a way that feels so easy. We have so much in common, and I enjoy talking to her so much. My girlfriend, though? She can’t stand it. I’ve explained a hundred times that it’ll never go further than friendship—that this girl is like a twin to me, someone I can talk to without any weird feelings. But my girlfriend still gets upset. And the more she gets upset, the more I pull away.

I hate feeling like this. I never wanted to be in a relationship where I’m constantly defending my friendships. I want to be happy with her, but these fights and this tension are starting to wear me down. I’m not sure where to go from here or if things will get better, but right now, I’m stuck.

— Jason Rivera