My gf and I have been together for 6 years. She keeps hinting at wanting to get married and talking about what her wedding will be like someday.
So I’ve decided to take the hint. I bought an engagement ring a week ago and am planning to pop the question sometime soon.
Well, over the weekend she had a work function. This was the first time she’s invited me along. I’m not super outgoing, but I was kind of looking forward to meeting all these coworkers she talks about so much.
For some reason, every time we talked to someone, she introduced me as her “cousin”. I thought it was a joke at first, but she kept at the whole day.
When we were driving home I asked her what that was all about, and she said she “didn’t want people to have the wrong impression”. When I asked what that meant, she said she didn’t want to talk about it anymore, and I shouldn’t be so upset. She then switched the conversation to her favorite TV show.
Why would she introduce me as her cousin? Should I insist on her telling me why she did that before I propose?
I decided to give her a call and be very blunt with her. I asked her if she was cheating, and she seemed very confused. When I pressed, she got angry and told me that she’s always been faithful to her boyfriend. Now it was my turn to be confused, and I asked who her boyfriend was.
Long story short, she’s been dating another guy for the past year. She has been hoping he would propose (hence all the wedding talk). Apparently she’s never thought of me as her boyfriend. I misread that badly.
She kept alternating between very apologetic, saying “I am SOOOO sorry if I gave you the wrong impression” and “How could you have POSSIBLY thought we were together?”
Well sir, I feel pretty stupid right now. But on the bright side, I’m glad I found out now before proposing. Now THAT would have been awkward. I just got done signing up for a new Match.com account. This evening, I’m going to return the ring I had bought. Hoping for a better day tomorrow.
Theodore Lee is the editor of Caveman Circus. He strives for self-improvement in all areas of his life, except his candy consumption, where he remains a champion gummy worm enthusiast. When not writing about mindfulness or living in integrity, you can find him hiding giant bags of sour patch kids under the bed.