This phrase means that your boyfriend is cheating on you, according to an expert

When guys say someone is just a friend, a relationship expert explains what they mean. And however much we dislike this fact, many guys will genuinely use this line to deflect accusations of cheating. 33-year-old Cory Skonlnik, a relationship expert, claimed on social media that the statement ‘she is just a friend' is a significant red flag.

According to him, any girl that you ever have doubts about may actually be more than just a friend. Friends are supposed to know the boundaries of a relationship, and they maintain their own healthy boundaries as well. So, even though they may not have yet been cheating on you physically, no one can be too sure about emotional cheating.

Sidepiece Alert

Cory seemed to know what he was talking about on his social media and all this coming from a guy, definitely adds more foundation to the already existing speculation. He believes that anyone who uses this phrase mean:

I keep this person around as a backup for whenever I get bored. They may replace you if you leave. In fact, they may already be acting as a valuable side piece to me.

If you complain about my shady behaviour with this person, I'll make sure you seem like the controlling one.

Many others agreed with him in the comments and shared their experience. People went from writing how respecting boundaries is important to how their exes started a relationship with that ‘just a friend.’ Some of the followers commented:

I learned that if another person isn't introduced by name, only as a 'friend', stay vigilant.

Yep, and his 'friend' is now his wife after I left when I caught them cheating.

Other flags

Another relationship guru has stated that a man gifting underwear to his partner is usually a warning flag. Tina Wilson argues that if your only gift is lingerie, it is a red flag. It basically means that your beau is more concerned with himself than with you. She added,

If the lingerie is completely different to anything you’ve worn before (and you don’t feel comfortable), it's definitely a gift for him.

It is more of a present for him because he will be the one gazing at it and loving it on you.

Lingerie can be an awkward gift, but it's actually pretty telling if you have very different perspectives on what you like, and could signal a bigger divider than you imagine...

And what if they make a big deal about it because you do not want to wear it? Tina continued,

Buy him a neon glitter G-string and that'll drive the message home.