Caught In The Middle: When Friends Break Up

Tweet

Being stuck in the middle of friends who just broke up is never fun, but when the friendships are divided—me being close with her and my husband being tight with him—it adds a whole new layer of awkward. They’ve both assured us, separately, that the breakup was mutual and ended on a “good note.” But honestly? It doesn’t feel like that at all. The tension is subtle, but we can feel it's there. Casual hangouts have turned into delicate balancing acts. When we’re with her, she’s polite and says things like, “Oh, I hope he’s doing okay,” but there’s this edge to her voice that makes me wonder. On the other hand, when my husband talks to him, it’s all, “Yeah, we’re fine, just moving on,” but the way he changes the subject tells a different story. It’s especially tricky because now we’re trying to juggle invitations and conversations. Do we mention we saw the other person? Do we pretend they don’t exist for the sake of keeping things light? Even date nights have turned into strategy sessions on how to handle this without stepping on landmines. The hardest part is we genuinely care about both of them, and we’re rooting for them to find peace, whether together or apart. But right now, it feels like we’re stuck in this awkward middle ground, trying to stay neutral while feeling like we’re being subtly pulled in opposite directions. It's especially hard with the holiday seasons and the traditions that we all used to share. But of course, there's really nothing we can do but be there for them when they need us. Here’s hoping time really does heal all wounds because, at the moment, it’s just plain hard to navigate.