Getting Good at Being You by Lauren Alaina

Author:Lauren Alaina [Alaina, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2021-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

WHAT DO YOU

THINK OF?

LISTENING TO YOUR INSTINCTS

TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Have you ever been in a romantic relationship that made you feel like you’d lost your grip on reality? One that was all-consuming and wonderful . . . until it wasn’t? And then it felt impossible to get over? A relationship that left your heart so broken and battered that you weren’t sure if you’d recover? You’re not alone.

The guy who broke my heart was charming and funny, goofy and easy to talk to, earnest and sincere (or at least that’s what I thought in the beginning). We’d been friends for a long time, so the transition to something more was easy and natural. Of course, making a relationship last is never as easy as falling for each other.

As smitten as I was, I can see now that a few red flags even then signaled that we wouldn’t last. I felt a lot of pressure to fit in with his friends, to change myself to be the woman he wanted. At first, he seemed to love me exactly as I was, but it didn’t take long before he began asking me to change in little ways—and then, later, in much bigger ways. I was sometimes baffled by his actions and choices. He’d disappear for days at a time and then suddenly be back as if nothing odd had happened. I blamed it on our busy schedules at first, but then it started happening even when we weren’t busy. He’d be distant and dismissive, short tempered over little things. I almost broke it off a few times, but he’d apologize and go back to model boyfriend behavior.

MAKING A RELATIONSHIP LAST IS NEVER AS EASY AS FALLING FOR EACH OTHER.

I kept blaming myself for his odd behavior. I couldn’t understand why he was withdrawing, being secretive, and giving me the run-around when I hadn’t done anything wrong. He wasn’t treating me the way I deserved to be treated. But I loved him, so I kept making excuses for him. I thought maybe I needed to be more understanding, more patient. Maybe if I was the best girlfriend ever, he might change. But no matter how hard I tried, something about how our relationship was progressing didn’t feel safe. I just couldn’t pinpoint what it was. I was on edge all the time, walking on eggshells with everything I did.

He was also unbearably weird about his phone. I would never go through someone’s phone, but he was so protective and nervous about his phone that it made me suspicious. It was such extreme behavior that I contemplated sneaking a peek even though I’d never done that to a boyfriend before (or since).

IF YOU JUST CAN’T SHAKE A FEELING, PLEASE LISTEN TO THAT. TRUST YOUR GUT.

Of course he was secretive about his phone—he was cheating on me and all the evidence was there! Deep down, I knew he wasn’t being faithful. I didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want to see it, but in my heart of hearts, I knew.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.