Dear Annie: My longtime boyfriend and I are mature adults. My problem is that he insists on eating all of his home-cooked meals in bed. Imagine cooking a beautiful dinner and your partner refuses to eat at the table, instead loading up a bowl of food and eating in bed while glued to the TV. There is no conversation because he might “miss” something on TV. Meanwhile, I sit on a stool balancing my plate on my lap to dine with him. After going to all of the work to make a nice dinner, I then have to dine and clean up the kitchen by myself while he’s glued to the boob tube!

On the rare occasion that he actually sits at the table to eat, he complains, even though there’s a TV in the dining room that he watches while eating. He’s very capable of sitting at a table and dining as he does when we go out to eat or go to friends’ homes. Oddly enough, if he sees someone dining alone, he’ll feel sorry for them. However, dining alone is what I’m forced to do in our home. What should I do about this? — The Lone Diner

Dear Lone Diner: This isn’t just about your boyfriend choosing to eat in bed; it’s about him prioritizing his comfort and preferences over connecting and spending quality time with you. You’ve sacrificed what you want to accommodate him, meanwhile he hasn’t had to lift a finger.

You deserve to feel valued and appreciated in your relationship; you are this man’s partner after all, not his waitress. Tell your boyfriend directly that you want to eat dinner together, starting with two or three nights a week, totally uninterrupted, at the dining table, no TV allowed. If he’s not willing to meet you halfway and grant you this very small ask, it may be time to stop cooking for two.

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“How Can I Forgive My Cheating Partner?” is out now! Annie Lane’s second anthology — featuring favorite columns on marriage, infidelity, communication and reconciliation — is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit Creators Publishing for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to [email protected].