It's not what it looks like...
Ok, so I wasn't really busted, seeing as how Jenna & I hadn't actually done anything yet.
Still, Pete knew damn well that something was up...which it was. And we knew that he knew. And he knew that we knew that he knew...and we knew what that meant; pretty soon, Alan was gonna know. I remembered wrestling in my head with whether to tell him the truth or try to cover it up, and I remember thinking that, as much as I didn't want to lie to him, it wouldn't exactly be fair for me to volunteer Jenna to come clean, and I also knew that, if there was any one of my friends that I could possibly fast talk my way out of this with, it was Pete; not that he isn't smart, but he just isn't all that...worldy in some ways.
So, since we weren't exactly in a compromising position per se (it was more just her being there, sitting next to me all cozy under the circumstances that was compromising), somehow, I was able to play it off & at least convince him that we hadn't done anything...even though it was quite obvious that we were about to do something or the other. He just kind of gave me the eye & asked us what was up, to which we answered that we had just been talking, which, technically, we had.
He didn't press it any further than that, but he did make sure to hang around until Jenna left, so as not to leave us alone again. And let me take this opportunity now to tell you a little something about Pete; sure, it sounds like he's being the good, protective friend looking out for everyone's feelings...and he was, in this case, anyway...but Pete, aside from being the master of the bad timing, is also the master of the cock-block, or interference, as it's referred to in hockey. You see, Pete, bless his heart, is sort of notorious for being unlucky with women (like I'm not?), and maybe because of this, whether he realizes it or not, he tends to find creative ways of, well, stopping you from getting any action if he's around. This time, it was warranted, I suppose, and it's not exactly like I could pull a Tony Banks on him...
So, after an hour or so of small talk, Jenna had to leave, and we exchanged a little 'to be continued' look as she walked out the door. Pete asked me right away what had been going on, and I told him the same thing I told him before; we had been talking. I remember all he said was "mmm-hmmm", and that's all he really had to say; we both knew what would happen from here: drama.
I still didn't know whether I would have actually done anything that night or not, but I knew that just being that close to Jenna for five minutes had made my chest feel all funny. I also knew that Pete was going to call Alan & tell him what he had seen as soon as he got home, and I didn't have the slightest idea of what Alan would do.
Alan isn't exactly the most...emotional person in the world, you see. I mean, he has them, he just has this amazing way of keeping them completely in check under the surface...and they never seem to boil over & spill out, either. It's actually pretty amazing, and I've often wanted to trade places with him at times & see what it felt like to have things roll off my back while he wears all his emotions on his sleeve for everyone to see. So, I wasn't sure how upset he would be; whether he would be mad, or hurt, or some combination of both. I mean, sure, they were broken up & he was dating again & had been for a while...but that wouldn't make me feel one damn bit better if it had been he & Kara in the same situation. Regardless, I knew I wouldn't have to wait long to find out.
But, I didn't.
He called the next morning, and when I answered the phone, he just said "Man? What's going on?"
"Nothing, man...nothing happened, I promise.", I said.
"Well...what's going on, though?"
"I don't know, man...she came over, we got to talking, and..." I hesitated.
"...and?", he asked.
"...and she said she was in love with me." I braced myself.
"She said...what?" He didn't yell....I don't think he thought he'd heard me right.
"Well, she didn't say she was..she said she thought she might be.", I tried to pour some sugar on it, in the name of love.
"So...is that better?" He asked with a laugh, which made me feel better...somewhat.
"I don't know, man...I don't know what's goin' on. Pete walked in just as it was all goin' down."
"Well....well, shit, man!" He wasn't mad...he was surprised like I was, but he wasn't mad. He trusted me, and I remembered thinking that I might not deserve it, with some of the thoughts that had gone through my head.
"I know, man...I don't know where it came from, either. I mean, Jenna & I were always close, even when you guys were together..."
"I know, man...it's not that I'm all that shocked, I'm just....shocked, ya' know?", he said.
"I know, man...me too." So we were gonna discuss this like rational adults, after all. or, at least, as close as we could get...
"So, have you heard from her since?", he asked.
"Nope, not yet."
"Well, what are you gonna do, man?", he asked.
I sighed.
"Well...what do you want me to do, man?", I asked him while crossing my fingers.
"Well...I don't really want you to do anything, man.", he laughed nervously. "I mean, would you want me to?"
"No...no, I wouldn't, man." We were on the same page there, at least. I figured it was safe to make a joke about it. "Is there some kind of statute of limitations we're working with here, though, man?"
He laughed. "Well, if there is, it probably isn't gonna expire anytime soon, man".
What could I say? I mean, I, of all people, should understand what it was like to be on the other end of this fence. The first several years of my dating life pretty much consisted entirely of girls messing around with my friends behind my back, and I had based the whole of my moral code around not becoming that guy. I knew my hands were tied...but, jesus, I was just so damn attracted to Jenna...in just about every way.
Alan & I got off the phone with the implicit understanding that 'the rule' had indeed been invoked, and was indeed in effect. I knew that I had to abide by it if I ever wanted to be able to live with myself...but I didn't know what the hell I was gonna do the next time I saw Jenna.
Which, of course, turned out to be that very night...
Still, Pete knew damn well that something was up...which it was. And we knew that he knew. And he knew that we knew that he knew...and we knew what that meant; pretty soon, Alan was gonna know. I remembered wrestling in my head with whether to tell him the truth or try to cover it up, and I remember thinking that, as much as I didn't want to lie to him, it wouldn't exactly be fair for me to volunteer Jenna to come clean, and I also knew that, if there was any one of my friends that I could possibly fast talk my way out of this with, it was Pete; not that he isn't smart, but he just isn't all that...worldy in some ways.
So, since we weren't exactly in a compromising position per se (it was more just her being there, sitting next to me all cozy under the circumstances that was compromising), somehow, I was able to play it off & at least convince him that we hadn't done anything...even though it was quite obvious that we were about to do something or the other. He just kind of gave me the eye & asked us what was up, to which we answered that we had just been talking, which, technically, we had.
He didn't press it any further than that, but he did make sure to hang around until Jenna left, so as not to leave us alone again. And let me take this opportunity now to tell you a little something about Pete; sure, it sounds like he's being the good, protective friend looking out for everyone's feelings...and he was, in this case, anyway...but Pete, aside from being the master of the bad timing, is also the master of the cock-block, or interference, as it's referred to in hockey. You see, Pete, bless his heart, is sort of notorious for being unlucky with women (like I'm not?), and maybe because of this, whether he realizes it or not, he tends to find creative ways of, well, stopping you from getting any action if he's around. This time, it was warranted, I suppose, and it's not exactly like I could pull a Tony Banks on him...
So, after an hour or so of small talk, Jenna had to leave, and we exchanged a little 'to be continued' look as she walked out the door. Pete asked me right away what had been going on, and I told him the same thing I told him before; we had been talking. I remember all he said was "mmm-hmmm", and that's all he really had to say; we both knew what would happen from here: drama.
I still didn't know whether I would have actually done anything that night or not, but I knew that just being that close to Jenna for five minutes had made my chest feel all funny. I also knew that Pete was going to call Alan & tell him what he had seen as soon as he got home, and I didn't have the slightest idea of what Alan would do.
Alan isn't exactly the most...emotional person in the world, you see. I mean, he has them, he just has this amazing way of keeping them completely in check under the surface...and they never seem to boil over & spill out, either. It's actually pretty amazing, and I've often wanted to trade places with him at times & see what it felt like to have things roll off my back while he wears all his emotions on his sleeve for everyone to see. So, I wasn't sure how upset he would be; whether he would be mad, or hurt, or some combination of both. I mean, sure, they were broken up & he was dating again & had been for a while...but that wouldn't make me feel one damn bit better if it had been he & Kara in the same situation. Regardless, I knew I wouldn't have to wait long to find out.
But, I didn't.
He called the next morning, and when I answered the phone, he just said "Man? What's going on?"
"Nothing, man...nothing happened, I promise.", I said.
"Well...what's going on, though?"
"I don't know, man...she came over, we got to talking, and..." I hesitated.
"...and?", he asked.
"...and she said she was in love with me." I braced myself.
"She said...what?" He didn't yell....I don't think he thought he'd heard me right.
"Well, she didn't say she was..she said she thought she might be.", I tried to pour some sugar on it, in the name of love.
"So...is that better?" He asked with a laugh, which made me feel better...somewhat.
"I don't know, man...I don't know what's goin' on. Pete walked in just as it was all goin' down."
"Well....well, shit, man!" He wasn't mad...he was surprised like I was, but he wasn't mad. He trusted me, and I remembered thinking that I might not deserve it, with some of the thoughts that had gone through my head.
"I know, man...I don't know where it came from, either. I mean, Jenna & I were always close, even when you guys were together..."
"I know, man...it's not that I'm all that shocked, I'm just....shocked, ya' know?", he said.
"I know, man...me too." So we were gonna discuss this like rational adults, after all. or, at least, as close as we could get...
"So, have you heard from her since?", he asked.
"Nope, not yet."
"Well, what are you gonna do, man?", he asked.
I sighed.
"Well...what do you want me to do, man?", I asked him while crossing my fingers.
"Well...I don't really want you to do anything, man.", he laughed nervously. "I mean, would you want me to?"
"No...no, I wouldn't, man." We were on the same page there, at least. I figured it was safe to make a joke about it. "Is there some kind of statute of limitations we're working with here, though, man?"
He laughed. "Well, if there is, it probably isn't gonna expire anytime soon, man".
What could I say? I mean, I, of all people, should understand what it was like to be on the other end of this fence. The first several years of my dating life pretty much consisted entirely of girls messing around with my friends behind my back, and I had based the whole of my moral code around not becoming that guy. I knew my hands were tied...but, jesus, I was just so damn attracted to Jenna...in just about every way.
Alan & I got off the phone with the implicit understanding that 'the rule' had indeed been invoked, and was indeed in effect. I knew that I had to abide by it if I ever wanted to be able to live with myself...but I didn't know what the hell I was gonna do the next time I saw Jenna.
Which, of course, turned out to be that very night...
11 Comments:
x, are cock-blockers amongst male friends acceptable or just common practice? just curious.
and this cracked me up: "So we were gonna discuss this like rational adults, after all. or, at least, as close as we could get..."
man. a friend told me a story about not a love triangle, but a "situation." this is most likely an inappropriate memory, but your post reminded me of what she said: "sometimes it's better to be an 'unattainable' than just 'another notch on a belt.'" but i guess we'll see!
dunt, dunt duhhhh! Can I tell you that I feel a little guilty about how much fun this story is for me? I mean, I know you lived it and it as NOT FUN when it was going down, but holy damn - I just have to keep checking back to see what happens next!
Seriously!?! That's it!?! I've been coming back almost every day to find out what happened...& this is all u give us!?!
Patience really isn't my thing! But I'll wait...& I'll b back!! ;-)
As much as I'm thoroughly enjoying this story, I'm mostly glad to see that things are working out for you enough that you can get back to such things as entertaining the rest of us. I agree...must have been difficult to live through, but makes for a great story!
I don't understand this rule. Alan was dating other people and they'd been broken up for how long? AND you told him about it before anything even happened? Silly boys.
I'm pretty sure they call it 'The Law of Possession' jamy. haha
Insanity...and also, I have to agree with jamy. Silly silly boys. First of all, before you guys go all cave-hemanish on us, you might want to stop and think about what the girl wants before you go makin all kinds of rules that also affect her. But that's just me.
You've got me hooked though. I shall be back to find out what happens next!
I'll be a female voice of dissention and say that I don't think it's so silly. Why is it OK for women to proclaim, "Men come and go but my girlfriends are forever," or other such marketable grrl power phrases, but guys can't respect that other guys may actually have feelings that can be hurt? I think their rules actually show a level of maturity and sensitivity that I wish was more prevalent in men of the age that X was then.
I kind of agree with princessmax. The unwritten girl code says that you do NOT date a guy if your friend has dated him, or even if she has a thing for him. So, it only makes sense that the same thing exists for men. I'm glad it does, actually.
Man I so hope this didn't get all kindsa ugly...
No.... another mate's girl is out of bounds. You should know that. Anything else is not right. Apart from anything else, you're probably just a diversion, and you'll end up hurt.
I can't believe anyone would question that staying the hell away from Jenna was anything but the ABSOLUTE RIGHT THING! You just don't do that to a friend.
Even if they've done it to you...
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