To My Guy Best Friend Who Let Our Friendship Go,

I’ve always understood that you’re the type of person who won't stay single for long—and I’ve also been accepting of the disappearing act that you play when you are in a relationship. Although I never say anything during those times you’re gone, I miss you and I hate that you feel you are not able to juggle our friendship with your love life. I always thought that one should never let a friendship fade over a significant other, and I always thought that you would eventually find your way back to my friendship. Well, this time you haven’t and I can’t accept or understand it.

During those few months that you are single, our eleven-year friendship shines: We reminisce on the early days of high school when we met, laugh at our awkward phases, take too many late night trips to the grocery store to buy endless cans of Pringles and, at times, you even let me convince you to spend your money on accompanying me to country concerts even though you don’t even like the music. Those are the times that I hold onto in hopes that you will come to your senses about how important friendship is; our friendship.

I have made a constant effort to maintain our eleven-year friendship while you date this new girlfriend, but you have chosen to neglect my efforts. I don’t understand why. I see that you include your other friends and her friends in your plans, but have chosen to no longer acknowledge me, your best friend. It hurts to watch you become a person you would hate, a person that you said you would never be, a person that has told me we will be friends forever.

I am sorry if I’ve made you angry lately when I text you and we wind up fighting. I just refuse to sit back and let you get away with your "Houdini act" this time; I won’t let it happen—at least, that's what I’ve said in the past.

Right now, I am slowly coming around to accepting that our friendship is ending, and I am slowly realizing that you lied when you said we would be friends forever.

Is there a reason that you feel the need to push me aside when you meet someone new? Do you only want to be my friend when you’re single in order to make the time pass?

These are questions that you ignore when I ask, you brush them off and give me the, “I am just really busy” excuse. You don’t look too busy on social media when you’re with your girlfriend’s friends on weekend getaways or out in Atlantic City for your birthday with everyone but me.

I made a promise to someone that I wouldn’t let our friendship fall apart, and I was keeping the promise until I realized that you’ve already closed the book of our friendship.

So, to my best guy friend who let our friendship go: I can no longer let you get away with pushing our friendship aside for a temporary relationship. I can no longer continue in letting you make me work so hard to keep you in my life and I refuse to be sitting here, again, heartbroken over an eleven-year friendship with the only best friend I’ve ever had.

I hope that one day when you’re single again you realize that the person you let yourself become is to blame.

Sincerely,

An old friend.