My male friend doesn’t contact me anymore since he got a girlfriend, he used to flirt with me a lot, tease me, sometimes be a little mean and stare?

[Anonymous]

But now it’s like radio silence. He never reaches out. I feel like I am losing my friend and a guy I did really care about. In groupchats I always make him laugh, he still eavesdrops when I’m out socially and he’s there and I’m talking to others, and watches me in these places. What is going through his mind?

[quaranta]

He is focusing on his girlfriend. If your friendship was mostly kept up by mutual interest, of course he dropped it now. Also, his girlfriend wouldn't like situations where he flirts or teases other girls, so he is just being reasonably loyal to her expectations I guess. Which doesn't mean having no female friends, but it means that those friends are friends-only, not treated like potential dates or hookups.
If he got a girlfriend though it's safe to think he was teasing and flirting with her too while doing that with you, and who knows, maybe with others. Which means he was simply playing and enjoying the flirt, or just keeping his options open. If you were real friends, now you'd have still something to do with this friendship. If it was just mutual interest and nothing more, well, it's gone...

And anyway most people get a bit more distant from their friends when they get in a relationship because their social needs are mostly fulfilled in the relationship itself, or their energies in general. Especially at the beginning when everything seems perfect and magical, mutual enthusiasm etc. Most people keep anyway a net of friends around (and it's healthy). So maybe past the initial phase he will be again more socially open, but don't expect he will restart flirting with you. And if so it would be a red flag, marking how he is prone to cheat on his partners, potentially, which is not good for you if you like him and consider him dating material.

[Ihateyou524]

Movd on start relationship.. don't fall into that trap... show him your happy and confident throw in a slash of ignoring him.. take control over the situation don't let him for one second that u will wait for him to figure out what wants.. we all want what we can't have.. if it's easy it can be done later.. only works if he likes u.. if he don't.. his loss

[Effably]

Who knows. Maybe he feels it isn't appropiate anymore. Maybe he had more than a friendly interest and is now removing that. Maybe his new girlfriend said something or he is intentionally making it so she will never have to.

I'd just approach him and talk about it. Not strange to ask a friend behaving strangely what's going on.

[Asker]

I think he did have more than a friendly interest but he chose her and even continued to flirt with me after they got together. What’s going on?

[Effably]

There isn't really a distinct clue in what you told us. So just ask. Asking is actually the normal reaction.

I'm putting my money on respectful to girlfriend or girlfriend asked for it. But go find out.

[spartan55]

Nothing is going through his mind. He has a girlfriend, and she is top priority, as she should be.

[Kyr0s]

Well for one, are you into him romantically?
If not, he moved on. It's not cool to have close female friends when you have a girlfriend.

[Asker]

Yes I do like him.

[Kyr0s]

Well, guess he's focusing on his girlfriend.

[NostalgiaSenpi]

He's got a girlfriend now, she obviously wouldn't be comfortable with a partner flirting like that with a friend. People come and go.

[Wise4myage]

This is very common among friends, and other than telling him how much you miss him, their isn't much you can do.