As my friend, T, and I arrived at Marvin, I caught her up on the latest with Mr. Exec and Best Boy.  Although Mr. Exec and I had yet to have our final conversation, the writing was on the wall that we wouldn’t be spending more time together.  In the midst of all the drama with Mr. Exec, I had somewhat surprisingly become friends with his best friend, Best Boy.  We would meet for drinks on occasion, attended the same events, and communicated regularly via email and text.

Me: He’s the complete opposite of Mr. Exec.  Everyone loves Best Boy because he’s such a great guy.

When Best Boy joined us at Marvin, the laughs and good conversation continued.  There was a DJ and dancing by the back bar that night so in the midst of all the activity, T managed to subtly send me a text:

He’s cute!

Me: You think so?

T: Yes. Much cuter than Mr. Exec.  You can tell he likes you.

Me: Likes me like that?  Really?  [She nods and smiles.]

(I hadn’t thought about the possibility of being more than friends with Best Boy since the night back in May when I had gone out on my fun, but bizarre, date with him and Mr. Exec.  After our dinner, I chose to get back together with Mr. Exec, and Best Boy and I remained friends.  And, yes, I appreciate that I might not have made the wisest choice.)

When we all finished our drinks at Marvin, I let Best Boy know that he could crash at my place.  (He lived 45 minutes out of the city, and there was absolutely no way that he should’ve been driving.)  Once we arrived at my apartment, I went to walk my dog, while Best Boy turned on the television. 

By the time I returned, Best Boy had fallen asleep on the couch.  He was fully clothed, and he had his body contorted in a position that would ensure that his neck was sore if he slept like that for more than 20 minutes.  I got ready for bed and then woke Best Boy.

Me: Let’s go to bed.

When I said that, my plan was in fact to get some sleep.  But, Best Boy had other ideas.  He kissed me gently on the lips and pulled me in toward him.  The evidence inside of his boxers indicated that Best Boy wasn’t so sleepy anymore!

Me: Go to sleep.

Best Boy: Why did you wake me up then?

Me: So you wouldn’t get a crick in your neck!

Best Boy: I don’t think so.  You’re always pushing the envelope.  Your texts.  [Pause.]  Your little pokes.

Me: You started the poking [on Facebook].  Come on.  We’re friends.  After everything that’s gone on with Mr. Exec and me, we can’t be anything more than that.

Best Boy: You keep saying that, but you don’t act that way.

Me: It’s us.  I was with your boy only a few weeks ago.  You’re still hanging out with Melanie*.

Best Boy: True.  But, you’ve gotten in my head.

Me [confused]: I have?

Best Boy: Of course you have.  You and your games.

Lying there in the dark, I thought about what he said.  I typically am not the one who plays games in a relationship.  But, with Best Boy, maybe I had been doing that?  He was the Good Guy to Mr. Exec’s Bad Boy.  He was the guy I could text and meet for a drink whenever I wanted.  He was the guy who was always good for a smile or a laugh.  I saw him as a friend, but given how much of a flirt I am, had I been leading him on?

Me: I hadn’t thought about it that way.  I’m sorry if I’ve been playing games with you, but I really just see us as friends.  I have way too much history with Mr. Exec, and you guys are best friends!  Even if we wanted something more, there’s no way that it could work.

I had hoped that we would just fall asleep, but Best Boy wasn’t of the same mindset.  Much of the next hour was spent convincing him that I didn’t want to sleep with him.  Best Boy respected the fact that I didn’t want to hook up with him, but he maintained that I should’ve left him on the couch so as not to torture him.

There was one point in the evening when Best Boy woke up and made another move on me.

Me [moving his hand away]: Let me sleep!

Best Boy [whispering in my ear]: If you just think of me as a friend, why are you turned on?

As I tried to fall asleep, I wondered the exact same thing.  In the morning, we woke up, and Best Boy apologized for not letting me sleep much.  I accepted his apology and kissed him on the cheek goodbye.  It was a long, crazy night, but in the light of day, Best Boy and I were still just friends.

* I gave Best Boy's girl the nickname of "Melanie." In retrospect, that might have been confusing since my web designer's real name is Melanie. They are not one in the same.