@Brave through Hi girly,
Feeling attraction or appreciating validation from others is part of being human—it doesn’t mean disloyalty or a lack of love for your partner. Honestly, I’ve had little ‘crushes’ or moments of attraction during my relationship, and I felt so guilty about it that I confessed to my boyfriend. At first, he was a bit off-put because, let’s be honest, it sounds bad, but after we talked, he helped me understand that it’s just human nature. Everyone craves a little attention or validation—it’s not the same as betraying someone.
This is where I think ROCD could be coming into play. You can get intrusive thoughts where you start to feel like it’s more than just a crush or a sort of attraction. The ones that distress you and make you feel like a really bad person. They can feel like proof you’re a bad person or that you’ve done something terrible. It’s exhausting because the guilt feels so real, even when the actions don’t justify that level of distress.
About the fry incident: I get why your boyfriend was upset—it’s easy to feel territorial or jealous in relationships. Honestly, if my boyfriend got fed a fry by another girl, I’d probably feel a little weird about it, too. But when I step back and think rationally, I know it’s not actually disloyal. Context matters. If it were a guy feeding him a fry, I probably wouldn’t care. I’d just ask him to be mindful of boundaries in the future and leave it at that. It’s not a breakup-worthy offense unless someone is actively trying to cross a line repeatedly.
The drinking game incident is a bit trickier because it involves both attraction and omission of the situation until later. I get why your boyfriend might feel hurt or jealous, but I also think it’s important to recognize that everyone’s relationship boundaries are different. Some people are okay with their partners having opposite-sex friendships or making harmless comments; others, like your boyfriend, seem to be more sensitive about it.
That said, his reaction seems to feed into your overthinking. He’s reinforcing this idea that small, unintentional actions—like eating a fry or answering a question in a game—carry the same weight as deliberate betrayal.
Here’s what I want you to remember:
• People can find others attractive without acting on it, and that’s normal.
• Small, unintentional actions don’t equate to cheating or disloyalty.
• Your intentions in these situations don’t seem to have been harmful or meant to betray your relationship.
It’s okay for your boyfriend to express his feelings, but he needs to do so in a way that doesn’t frame these moments as moral failings. That way, you can share your fears and insecurities without the weight of heavy judgment.
Honestly, I think the root issue here is a mix of unclear boundaries in your relationship, ROCD amplifying your guilt, and your boyfriend feeding into those OCD tendencies by making you feel like you’ve cheated for having completely normal human feelings.
If your actions (like the drinking game or eating the fry) wouldn’t bother you if your boyfriend did them, it might be worth sitting down with him to talk about what boundaries feel reasonable and fair to you both. If his perspective is stricter than yours, that’s something you’ll need to navigate together through open communication.
For example, my boyfriend, Axel, can get really jealous sometimes, and I’ve had to find ways to help him manage it. When he’s being extra irrational, I’ll say something like, “Okay, I need rational Axel to come out because jealous Axel is in overdrive.” He usually laughs, and while he’s still jealous, he’s calmer and more aware of his emotions. Maybe you could try a similar approach to help shift the tone of these conversations with your boyfriend.
At the end of the day, relationships are about trust and communication. If you both value the relationship, these situations should lead to deeper understanding, not just fear or blame. You’re not a bad person for being human, and you deserve a partner who can help you work through these things with empathy and understanding.