My boyfriend was a CIA agent... it came with a slew of glamorous perks but also some VERY strict rules

Daily Mail​

5 days ago

A woman who dated a CIA agent has laid bare the glamorous perks that came with being in a relationship with a government official - as well as the strict rules she had to follow.
Nyla Caselli, 23, based in California, said she met the man, named James, after he approached her at the airport and asked to take her to dinner.
From that night on, Nyla says she was whisked into a lifestyle of private jets, chauffeurs, designer handbags, and spontaneous bank transfers, including a $40,000 payment simply because 'he missed her.'
She was soon introduced to 'the fast life' of elite hotels and whirlwind weekends abroad... but dating a CIA agent also came with its downsides.
James had intense regulations when it came to privacy, including no social media, no photos, and no personal questions.
Nyla explained exclusively to the Daily Mail, 'From day one, James had very strict boundaries. No photos - ever. No tagging him in anything.
'I wasn't even allowed to post when or where we were if he was nearby. I had to turn off my phone sometimes.'
Nyla recalled James using 'encrypted phones,' and doing 'security checks' whenever he'd enter a public building.
'He used a phone with no traceable apps, and sometimes would only communicate on burner numbers,' she continued.
'We'd enter restaurants through back doors. He always sat facing the exits. Even in hotels, he'd sweep the room for cameras.
'He once made me leave my bag in a separate car just to "be safe."'
But he also loved to spoil her. He whisked her away on trips to places like Morocco and Switzerland and moved her into a $10,000-a-month penthouse in downtown Los Angeles.
At first, James kept his line of work a secret from Nyla and she believed he was just a 'rich businessman.'
She explained, 'At the time, I didn't question it. But now I realize I was basically living in a spy movie.
'He said [all the rules] was for "operational security," and at the time, I just thought he was a privacy freak… but it turns out, he was living a double life.
'I thought maybe he was in tech or finance, but deep down, something always felt… off.'
After three months of his secretive behavior, security details, and constant travel, Nyla said she jokingly asked him, 'What are you, CIA?' and he went 'stone cold.'
That's when he dropped the bombshell that he did indeed work for the US government.
While she first thought he was joking, Nyla said that suddenly, 'everything made sense.'
And knowing the truth about his profession only added an extra 'thrill' to their relationship.
'It was like living in a fantasy. There were spontaneous first-class trips, dinners where the room got cleared out just for us, and this underlying feeling that no one could touch me. It was definitely a high,' she dished.
But with the life of luxury also came a fierce 'loneliness' as she had to tell lies to her own friends and couldn't share anything on social media.
'I was a ghost in my own life sometimes - living the dream, but unable to wake anyone else up to it,' she recalled.
'I wasn't able to post or share anything about my life with the world and I had to hide everything.
'There were nights I didn't know where he was or when he'd come back. It was glamorous, but it was also extremely isolating.'
Though things ended a year in after James was reassigned overseas, Nyla said she learned a lot from their relationship.
And in the end, she concluded that she'll always remember James with affection.
'Now I'm hyper-aware of my surroundings. He taught me to never assume I'm not being watched, and honestly, in today's world, that advice has aged very well,' she reflected.