i've known this guy for about five years, and we're pretty good friends. the other day he mentions that he has a girlfriend. this is pretty big news, he's never had one before. however, he told me who she was and i actually know of her. he wasn't aware of this. i didn't mention it. i know that she's not in a relationship.

i'm trying to understand why he would lie to me about being in a relationship, it doesn't really make sense.

this is pretty big news, he's never had one before.

Maybe he just feels so pressured to get a girlfriend that he is willing to make it up to fit in. How old is he?

he's 18.

maybe they miscommunicated?

"hey you wanna go out sometime?"
"sure"

he thinks they're going out, she thinks they are gonna go watch a movie later or something

he said it's been going on for a while - five weeks.

i was somewhat surprised he hadn't told me earlier, but meh.

I would either:

a) Confront him, although you probably don't want to hurt his feelings.

b) Leave subtle hints like, "Yeah, hey! I know her! I'll hafta chit chat with her about you..."

Like stated, it could be an innocent mistake.

How do you know that she has no boyfriend ATM??

Have you considered that she might be keeping quiet about it for some reason? I knew a guy who dated a girl for 6 weeks before he admitted it, and then only in the face of overwhelming evidence. The girl he was dating was a little odd, nice enough, but odd.

i know she's single because a friend of mine is really good friends with her. also, her myspace/facebook stuff all say she's single.

i don't think i'll confront him, if he's so uncomfortable that he's lying about his relationship (or lack thereof) i'd rather just leave it be and let him think that i think he has a girlfriend.

it just surprised me. i don't see why he would lie to me, it's not like i parade my relationship in front of him, i barely ever mention my boyfriend to him.

Have you seriously not considered that perhaps she wants to keep the relationship secret but he's blabbing?

i have no idea why... when i was younger 13-14 i lied to my parents about having a gf, but then again my mom was pretty much encouraging me to be homosexual. so it was only to get her to piss off.

Find him a woman and see what he does.

If he goes for the other chick and drops the fantastical relationship, you can either let it go or question him about it.

If however he continues with this stuff, get him a therapist.

This is a little off the wall but maybe he wants you.

Just a random thought.