Confused

I'm living with my boyfriend of about 2 years and for the past year our relationship has been on rocks. He cheated on me and gotten very physical with me in the past and it really caused some serious damage to our relationship. Well now I've got in contact with an old friend and he's been making advances towards me. We hang out a few nights and it's quite obvious theirs attraction between the both of us. He knows about my boyfriend as well, we talk about him a lot. I just don't know whether or not I should keep this "friendship" going. I love my bf but I feel like our relationship has been coming to end but I also like the presence of my friend and can see myself in a relationship with him. What are your thoughts?