Finding a great roommate—not to mention a few of them—is a difficult task, which is what makes one appreciate a good living arrangement when they have one.
Redditor u/Shadowe666 seemingly did, when she shared a home with three of her male friends. That was until one of their girlfriends started causing trouble upon learning that the OP was a tenant, not just someone’s partner. The girlfriend tried to get her evicted in all sorts of ways, but not only did she fail, the redditor was able to get petty revenge, too.
Having great roommates can make a world of difference when sharing a home
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For this redditor, living with her three male roommates was the best time ever, even with one of their partners trying to ruin it
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Image credits: Shadowe666
Women tend to be more satisfied with their living arrangements when they share a home with male-only tenants
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Living with roommates can really make the day-to-day more enjoyable and the mundane more fun—especially if members of the household manage to divide such things as chores and financial responsibilities with no trouble.
In the redditor’s household, the tenants seemingly had a system that worked well regarding numerous important aspects, such as handling money, sharing food, and adjusting to each others’ schedules, making living together quite easy.
Another likely reason why the OP called their time together “the best two years ever living situation-wise” was the dynamics that living with male-only roommates seemingly brings. Statistics show that women living with men only seem to be more satisfied with their arrangement than those living with other women. With roles reversed, though, the situation is rather different, as men living with representatives of the opposite sex only are reportedly less content than men living with other men.
Some behaviors, such as not paying rent in time or insulting others, can cut cohabitation short
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While some combinations gender-wise are seemingly more successful at sharing a home than others, that alone is not enough to result in harmonious cohabitation. A poll carried out by RentCafe found that some things roommates do can be aggravating or destructive enough to bring the living arrangement to an end (the worst behaviors on the list being not paying rent, mean or insulting behavior, or showing no interest in being friends).
The OP and her roommates were already friends before moving in together, which continued to be the case when Karen started seeing one of the guys. And while she was completely fine with the redditor thinking that she was also a partner of one of the guys, things took a turn for the worse when Karen realized that she wasn’t.
Karen didn’t really communicate her problems to the OP—not using words, at least—but she was clearly unhappy with the woman’s presence, likely because of feelings of jealousy. While the OP wasn’t romantically interested in Jay, when it comes to jealousy, a perceived threat is enough to make all hell break loose.
When a person is jealous, a perceived threat can be enough to wreak havoc
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According to a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst, Mary C. Lamia, Ph.D., a perceived threat to one’s relationship can induce feelings of anxiety and insecurity, consequently making the person sensitive to negative emotions and affecting the way they view the world around them.
In a piece for Psychology Today, the expert also pointed out that, “Many situations where feelings of jealousy are triggered may have little to do with someone else's qualities or the interest a partner may have in another person. Instead, they may have more to do with one’s own self-perception that becomes amplified by a partner's behavior around a third party.”
Needless to say, seeing Jay make breakfast for himself and his female roommate likely didn’t make Karen’s opinion on the OP any better. However, all's well that ends well and thanks to the redditor’s petty revenge—which fellow netizens in the comments seemingly enjoyed—and Karen’s jealous ways, the couple didn’t last long and some months later Jay met the girl who ended up being his happily ever after.
The OP provided more details in the comments
Fellow redditors shared their thoughts on Karen and the situation
