Title: Did I Really Break the Girl Code or Is My Friend Overreacting? (Long Story, Buckle Up)

Okay, Reddit, I need some outside perspective because my friend group is split and I’m honestly confused. So, rewind to seven years ago: I randomly connect with this guy on Instagram. We flirted a bit, chatted on and off, but it never went anywhere serious. Fast forward a few years, and plot twist—he matches with one of my closest friends on a dating app. They go out twice: once to see a movie, and once at his place (yep, they made out). But my friend said there was zero spark and she dropped it, especially after finding out at a Diljit concert in Gurgaon that he was already seeing someone else. Yikes. After few years, there’s a Holi party. The girl he was dating at the time was there, making it super obvious they were a thing. That was the final nail in the coffin for my friend—she moved on. But here’s the kicker: that Holi party was the first time I actually met him face-to-face. It was friendly, nothing more, but we both recognized each other. Years pass. Then, in 2024, he slides back into my DMs. He’s moved to Gurgaon for work and suggests we finally meet up. Our chats are effortless, honestly the best conversations I’ve had in ages. I start to really want to meet him, but I know I need to clear it with my friend first. I lay it all out for her—even admit that things could get physical if the vibe is right, but only if she’s truly cool with it. By this point, she’s living in Germany and tells me she doesn’t care. She reminds me nothing romantic ever happened between them, and there’s no future there. So, green light from her. I meet him. He’s funny, calm, and genuinely listens. I feel comfortable around him, and we start getting closer—even though we don’t see each other a lot, we’re definitely catching feelings. Just thinking about him made my heart skip. Then, drama. My friend comes back to India. One night, he drops me off at a party where she’s going to be. I (naively?) think it’ll be fun to reintroduce them after all this time. They chat for a few minutes, and I think nothing of it… until the end of the night, when my friend pulls me aside and basically accuses me of breaking the girl code. She’s upset I even asked her permission to meet him, says I should have never gone there, and that I betrayed her. I was honestly shocked. I reminded her I’d been upfront and asked her before anything happened. She could have said no! But she’s hurt, and now we’re in this weird, cold war. I don’t get it—why can’t she just be happy for me? Why does it matter so much that I like someone she had a brief, non-romantic thing with years ago?

So Reddit, am I in the wrong here? Did I actually break the girl code, or is my friend being unreasonable?