Hello RP,

I have been reading here for 3 years (using an alt account) and I am very famialiar with the content on here (read the sidebar enough times). I really could use some advice.

I have been in a LTR for a year and a half and am in college. My girlfriend is a little needy and anxious sometimes but only because I do have my shit together on most levels of my life, and she is still in school and that may make us live away fro each other for a while (but hopefully not). Anyways there is a friend in our social circle (i'll call her Sam) who is openly flirtatious with me with every IOI in the book (she dated another member of the group who is dating another girl in the group). Anyways our friendgroup minus my girlfriend is going on a cruise in a year, my girlfriend didnt sign on due to going on another vacation and money is tight while in school. Sam ended up on the cruise at the last second when i thought she wouldnt be.

If i did, I never meant to send her mixed signals but sometimes it can happen especially when you are in friend groups, and my friend group is goofy and social in that way (we can act gay sometimes but thats what people our age do). She doesnt care that I have a girlfriend or doesnt respect it (as woman tend to do), and i'm in a situation i don't know fully how to control. My girlfriend knows all of this and trusts me, but i'm not going to be putting her through this as she doesnt deserve it and is a amazing girlfriend almost all of the time.

I plan on being with this woman for a long time, to most of this communities dismay. I want advice. I need to either turn the tingles off (strongly preferred) or I am not going on the cruise. I want to nip it in the butt ASAP. If i don't get any better ideas i will likely direct confront no bs tell her to stop flirting with me and im not interested in her (which isn't ideal but will probably work). This will likely lead to a lot of social problems in my friend group but it wont affect me or my relationship with my guy friends (most of them are dating). I dont need or really want to be friends with sam, but i care about my friend group.

Im not dumping my girlfriend, and i don't need any dread as our relationship has too much already. Any advice would be great, and you guys have helped me a lot in the past and i am extremely grateful. My girlfriend trusts me, but this is on another level which is unacceptable.

Thank you.