I've been dating someone for a few months now. This person (call him R) has really caused a rift in my friendship with "the boys" (my best friends are boys).

I should explain here that R and the boys and I were not always on the most amicable of terms. But I've since managed to look past those things.

Since I've been dating R, the boys have accused me of "fraternizing with the enemy" (that's how ridiculous they are!) and that I'm just another girl on X's long list... and all these very hurtful things. I know they're just trying to watch out for me, but they can be so utterly tactless in their way of doing so.

And R is only fueling their anger with him. He taunts one of them (one of my best friends has had something of a long term crush on me) and he acts like such an asshole.

The whole situation is a mess. I really don't know what to do. I don't feel like stopping a good romantic relationship prematurely, but I also don't want to lose the best friends a person could ever ask for.