I [28 M] am finding I can't really have friends who are female, because it almost always becomes slightly romantic. Why is this?

I hate to post something like this, I hate humble brags. But I am curious if other men know how to deal with these situations. It might be more appropriate in r/askmen but I wouldn't mind answers from women too.

I have a girlfriend that I have been happy with for over a year, we are very committed and I don't want to cheat on her or anything.

Yet, I am finding with female coworkers or girls that I have known on and off for some time that I consider "friends", things start with normal friendly conversation- but almost always, the exchanges start to push on becoming "flirty."

I know I am more than to blame for that in some ways, at least, maybe so. I really like bantering with both females and males. I have plenty of men in my life who take this "banter" as platonic, since I am straight, and don't take it as anything else.

Yet I find with women, there's this uncertainty which I can feel in the air- before you know it, I get asked out for drinks, and have to deny or say okay as long as my girlfriend comes. Nothing comes of it after that.

I really don't want to be seen as a flirt, do I need to keep down my level of friendship with women from now on? I never want my relationship to hurt from this. My girlfriend doesn't think I am a flirt, she just says I have a "magnetic" personality. I tend to have strong relationships with people that seem to slip into romance, I've had it happen with all sorts of people. I just want help with keeping this from happening.

Tldr; I can't have "girl" friends because it always gets too flirty. Will this stop as I get older or is it something I am doing?

Submitted August 28, 2019 at 04:40PM by be_my_bed https://ift.tt/2ZrgKYw