Is AUTHOR wrong in the post ? POST : My best friend has been broken up with her ex for about 8 months and they are on friendly terms, but I know my friend still has feelings for him.  She has always made that clear. I didn’t hang out with her ex at all for about the first 4-5 mon they were broken up because I was conveniently traveling at the time. 

I started hanging out with her ex about 3 mon ago, when I got back into town, and our friendship has grown a bit during that time.  I’ve had a really hard time navigating this situation because I have been friend’s with her ex independently of her (i.e. we didn’t meet through her, but we’re all students at the same school, different years though).  Unfortunately, he is one of my few other friends that lives in my area and the only other friend that shares an interest in packing (going on trips with pack animals), which is something I don’t feel comfortable doing on my own, so I would be giving up a bit on pursuing that hobby with my pet donkey for the time being without his friendship. 

In an effort to try and remain friends with both parties, I have tried very hard to be completely transparent and keep my friend in the loop on everything that happens between her ex and I. I let her know when we hang out/see each other, details about our conversations, etc.  Basically trying to make sure she isn’t left to speculate whether we are acting in any way besides friends, which we aren’t.  I honestly have zero interest in him as anything other than friends.

At points, she has said that she thinks it’s a good idea for both of us that we are friends. She knows that we both don’t have a ton of other friends in the area and share a lot of the same interests, so I think she was trying to be noble and unselfish in that statement.  I question in light of the recent reaction she had to the news that I am
going on a trip together with her ex (a trip she was also invited on) that she may not have sincerely meant it.

Obviously, one solution is that I could stop being friends with her ex, but I’m wondering if it should have to come to that. Am I being an asshole in this situation?