sorter

My wife and I live in Eugene, OR. About two years ago, my best friend and his fiancee were living in Chicago and considering moving somewhere more affordable. They visited us several times over the course of about six months, liked Eugene, and eventually bought a house next to ours.

We're both healthcare professionals, and my friend and I had casually talked over the years about how it would be cool to open a practice together someday, but it was never anything concrete or promised. We also spoke positively about living in Eugene, but we never pressured them to move or encouraged them to buy a house.

After living here for about a year, they decided to move back because his wife missed her family in Chicago and wasn't happy living here. Recently, my friend called and told me that his fiancee was upset with my wife and me because they're about $150k underwater on the house. She says they never would have moved to Eugene if it weren't for us, and that we're the reason they're in this financial situation.

This completely caught me off guard because we always got along well, spent a lot of time together, and I had no idea she felt this way until now.

I think the main reason his fiancee was frustrated was the "talk" of us owning a practice together, even though that never really was concrete and was just an idea that never materialized. They're also trying to rent the home out but they're just losing a lot of money even with renting out due to the high mortgage, so they're planning to sell to cut losses. They're not explicitly saying we're "responsible" but they have resentment towards us. AITA for supposedly influencing them to move here? This completely caught me off guard.