[Celyn]

That's a really tricky situation to be in!

I would advise against trying to hint at her breaking up with her boyfriend. The problems that she is having with her boyfriend are between her and him. It sounds like her boyfriend has issues of his own that result in him having his technology taken off him, preventing him from talking to her. And it sounds like she has issues of her own- being insecure and needy, and staying in a relationship out of love although it is questionable whether she is truly happy in this arrangement. Ideally, both would need to work through their issues together and separately. If you hinted to her about breaking up, and then later made a move on her, it may look like you only wanted to break them up for your own benefit and not for her happiness. There is also a risk that she may end up with someone else, may reject you or may still have feelings for her boyfriend even if they were to split up.

You could just continue being the supportive friend, as you have done. It may be really difficult when you have such strong feelings for her, and it may be tempting to try to hint at them breaking up. But when you support her, you could try to focus on what would make her happy, and if the current situation isn't making her happy, then ask her what things she could do to change that. It's entirely her and her boyfriends decision how to navigate their relationship and they will need to communicate honestly with each other to figure out where things are heading.

You could confess your feelings. This situation is difficult for you and worse when you have feelings for her. But if you choose to do this, you should be clear in why you are confessing your feelings. You may want to avoid giving her an ultimatum- you or him and avoid pressure to split up with her boyfriend. However, you will have to accept the risk of rejection- despite your feelings, she may choose to remain in her current relationship. There is also the risk that, either you or her, may feel that you can no longer be very close friends now that you have made your feelings known. It will therefore be down to the both of you to decide whether you can still remain close friends, despite your feelings. You may feel that you may not be able to be as close as you were as now saying things like 'love you' and 'miss you' take on more of a serious meaning once you have stated your feelings and it may be in your best interests to suppress saying such things if it's only going to pain you being friends, despite making your feelings known. In this case, focusing on what you want and what things make you happy (such as interests and hobbies, spending time with other friends) may help during such a tricky situation.

Best of luck, whichever path you decide to take. Feel free to keep us updated and come back for more support, if you find it helpful