[April Masini, your AskApril]

It’s understandable that you feel betrayed by your boyfriend’s friend who suggested he break up with you, but you have to remember that your boyfriend DIDN’T break up with you in spite of this friend’s advice, so while you’re hurt, the reality is he didn’t take her advice. He chose to stay with you.

Your desire to get her out of his life is clearly territorial on your part, and again, understandable, but since he didn’t get rid of her, you shouldn’t give her any credibility. By fighting about her, you’re giving her a lot more weight in the relationship than by just ignoring her. My guess is that eventually, if you do ignore her, she’ll fade away. I know it doesn’t feel like it, but you won that last round when she advised him to dump you and he didn’t.

The violence, however, is of concern, and you should not ever hit anyone or allow yourself to be hit.

All that has nothing to do with the fact that your feelings for this man are waning. Since you’re only 19 years old, it’s normal for you to not be ready to get married or be in a long term relationship. You may want to see what else is out there, and this other guy may be an indicator that you’re looking elsewhere for experiences.

My advice is to follow your instincts and and if your feelings for your boyfriend seem to be fading, and your interest in this other guy stays, you should consider that it’s time to let go of the long term relationship and date other men to see what else is out there for you.

Check out my new group on Facebook, AskApril.com at this link: [url][/url]. I hope you’ll become a member! 😀