Hi friends. Is it fucked up to flirt with someone with no intention of taking it further? I’m in a long-term monogamous relationship. Sometimes I crave a little validation from strangers. I’m not going to cheat on my partner, but I do have a need to feel desirable to others. I don’t feel like a bit of flirting is a betrayal of my relationship, but I’m less confident about how other people feel. Like, I don’t want to waste someone else’s time, but I guess maybe I am leading people on a bit if I chat with them without mentioning my partner.
Sorry to revive a comment in an 8 day old struggle session, but your comment hit home because I am really bad at telling when what I’m saying is considered by someone else as flirting (probably for neurodivergent reasons). I have been called manipulative by a lot of dudes in my life because they mistake me being playful and avoiding eye contact as flirting. It’s not fun. It sucks. It’s sometimes dangerous.
So basically I just want to say thanks for pointing out that people shouldn’t feel like they’re being deceived by flirting, because sometimes the flirter didn’t even realize they were flirting in the first place.