I’ve apparently concluded a year-long internet relationship with a divorced woman of two teens, on a sour note.
We’re in our 40's, met through business, and communicated up to six times daily.
We know a great deal about each other, exchanged photos and phone calls, but were separated by hundreds of miles and couldn’t meet for various legitimate reasons.
We both mistrust the opposite sex due to previous, failed relationships, and this ultimately led to the end of our "relationship."
For two weeks, my lady friend was name-dropping about two new men she’d talked to.
I replied by email, "I get the hint and will depart the scene."
She was livid and accused me of playing mind games with her, but she did say "no reason to call (again), we're clear."
The same circumstances resulted in the end of a relationship I had several years ago.
Ellie, am I just paranoid in this most recent case, or did I have some justification for my suspicions?

- Confused

It’s far better to ask someone you care about, whether there’s a change in feelings or circumstances to be discussed together, than to jump to negative conclusions.
A yearlong Internet relationship without any face-to-face contact is a frustrating situation for anyone looking for a future (which would likely interest a woman of her age and circumstances).
You don’t mention having developed any plans to get together, and she was likely feeling restless and decided to test your reaction.
Since she was hardly able to have immediately established a full-on relationship with either or both different men, I suspect she wanted you to respond with something other than cold distancing.
If you still care for her, you could apologize and ask if it’s possible to visit, to see if there’s something there to salvage. Or move on.
But if you hope to find a new relationship, I recommend you recognize your own tendency to run away at the slightest provocation.

My first boyfriend contacted me after 35 years - he’s married, I'm single.
His initial e-mails were romantic and flattering and I was hooked! He said he had a big crush on me in school.
We have a lot in common. He’s continued to email me daily.
I wasn’t sure where he was coming from; I asked questions but he’s vague.
I said I don’t date married men, nor will I have an affair, because this email correspondence is intense!
Last month I threatened to pull the plug on this and hit a nerve. He said I’d misinterpreted his intentions and it wasn't a relationship to him.
I was very hurt. I feel this is an emotional affair but he doesn't want to give up his wife.
How do I handle this?
Is this going to become anything?

- Help!

What this will become is TROUBLE.
Thank Mr. Nostalgic Escape for his catch-up contact and wish him well… but send him back home into his wife’s hands.
You clearly frightened him when you raised the obvious, which is that he was playing with your emotions in order to have a little fantasy romance. But you, too, began to daydream inappropriately.
He IS married, and the only place for this sudden contact to go next, was to a meeting and an affair - precisely what you’ve wisely decided to avoid in your life.
Stick to your resolve. You’ve managed 35 years without him, so there’s no major loss here.

What's the etiquette on intimacy while staying in a cabin with friends?
We went away this weekend with three other couples and my boyfriend was not comfortable having sex when we went to bed because we shared a wall with the couple next door.
My viewpoint is this: you behave as quietly as you can, and if someone hears a stray noise, they should ignore it.
I’d appreciate your opinion/experience on this.

- Soundless Sex

My experience is to follow my comfort needs – which is why I rarely share housing with other couples if I can avoid it, since I don’t know their delicacy/privacy level, no matter how understanding mine may be.
You and your shy guy should’ve discussed this beforehand.
If you don’t mind having a lots-of-laughs but no-sex weekend, bunking with buddies is fine.
If you want intimacy in which you’re both comfortable and unrestricted, take separate cabins.