Feel guilty

[marks]

Hi,
Last night I went out to a local bar with a couple of friends to see in the new year. My girlfriend wasn't there as she is away in Argentina for a month.

I was having a good time and, feeling merry, I took lots of photos of me with other random people, one of whom was a girl who decided to kiss me on the cheek while I was taking the photo. My friends also saw the photo and now I'm not sure what they think. I was only being friendly and I feel absolutely gutted now that I took the photo, as it looks like I could have been cheating on my girlfriend.

Should I tell my girlfriend what happened, or keep quiet? She has been cheated on by other boyfriends in the past and so is now very wary of me going out on my own without her. I've since deleted the photo but feel very guilty about it, especially as there was an instance in the past when I went out clubbing with a friend and may have started dancing with a girl (I'd had a lot to drink and neither my friend nor I could remember the next day if I did or didn't).

I feel like an idiot and, after last night, am going to try to give up alcohol, as I can't seem to set a limit on how much I drink. I love my girlfriend and would like to think I'd never cheat on her. Am I making a mountain out of a molehill?

[muzu]

If all that happened was a kiss on the cheek, then you shouldn't feel guilty at all. Especially since you weren't even expecting it on top of that.
Personally, I wouldn't say anything, since a kiss on the cheek I wasn't expecting isn't cheating at all imo. And dancing with other girls at clubs? I don't see why you should feel guilty about that either...

I think the only things that are guilt worthy are when you are knowingly doing something with another girl you know your not supposed to.

But since it's getting to you, you should just explain the situation to her, if she trusts you enough, she should understand.

[Charlie Boy II]

that is a complete non-event. Don't bring it up with your girlfriend. Forget about it

[muzu]

Yeah, scratch what I said. Follow Charlie's advice.

[kez73]

Firstly, if alcohol consumption is a bit of a problem for you, it's always a good idea to cut down on it. No matter what kind of relationship a person is in or not.....

But in this particular situation, out on New Year's, it doesn't surprise me that you got at least one kiss on the cheek from another girl. I'm surprised you didn't get more. Last time I went out to a bar on new year's, I got kisses from several guys I didn't know. Everyone was going around kissing everyone else lol. But a kiss on the cheek once from one person is a far cry from cheating. If it bothers you that much, you could tell your gf that some random chick gave you a peck on the cheek for new year's and you felt all weird cos you missed your gf and it seemed too bizarre.... if your gf trusts you, she should be alright with it. If she doesn't trust you, what is the point of carrying on a relationship at all??

Personally I wouldn't worry about it. If you are feeling this much guilt about it - maybe you should sit and think about WHY. did you enjoy the girl's kiss and feel attracted to her? Is that what this is really about? Only you can answer that. And just so you know, even if you are totally bonkers crazy in love with someone, you will still find other people attractive from time to time. What you do about those attractions is what matters.

[chrisy]

Nothing to feel guilty about - she kissed you on the cheek. If I were you, I would not make a big deal out of it; however, I think that you should briefly/casually mention it to her. Given her past experiences, issues with trust and the digital age, you would not want her to be surprised if the photo suddenly appears on a friend's Face Book page.