Tony’s Pride: Part Deux

Yep, in a blurry moment of too much booze on her part and me, trying to be a comfort to her, Tony tried to be as slick as a 10th grade horny teenage boy ….. and tried to turn a friendly hug into something a little more.

It was just one of those hugs. You know the kind, where your friend is so beaten down by the nights events and the alcohol is wearing off, that she looks like a puppy dog that got pulled out of the lake by the scruff of her neck. She told me she needed a hug so I gave her one. That was where things got weird.

I honestly thought for a moment that she was crying. Tony crying? It’s been known to almost happen. Wait a minute …. was she wiping her tears away on my hair? With her face buried in my neck, I thought that was an odd but plausible explanation for the movement I began to feel below my left ear …. noooo …… wait a second ….. “What is wrong with you! Really??? Really?!! You did not just do that.” I tried not to yell at her, because remember, we’re outside in my driveway and I have very straight, very nosey neighbors.

She immediately launched into an apology, her speech no longer slurred as if my verbal reprimand had slapped her out of her drunken stupor. Which is the only excuse I could think of for her crossing that delicate line that ex-lovers always dance around when they become friends.

As if on que, my phone began to ring and it was Remi. I knew from the number that she was still at work. Thank God for small miracles, she was running late. I felt horrible about doing it, but didn’t answer her call. Deciding that my attention was best spent at damage control with the current situation unraveling at my feet.

I realized immediately that this serious lack of judgment on Tony’s part was due to a lot of factors that I couldn’t easily dismiss.

To begin with, she’s been through the emotional spin cycle and left out to drip dry by her relationship with Willa. That girl did more then a number on her and although Tony’s been playing it off like she was OK, I had a feeling it had a bigger impact on her then she was letting on.

She’s been on the rebound big time since Willa and has been drowning her sorrows in every femme that will let her. I think her theme song lately has been “Fuck the pain away” by Peaches.

To top it off, she ran into the cause of all her woes at Pride and we all know how that went down.

So while her sloppy, intoxicated attempt at …. well honestly I’m not sure what, a kiss? Was out of line I also understood it was mostly if not all, a string of events lining up and finally knocking her down. Leaving her to land on my door step, seeking what we used to be to one another …. solace from wounded egos and temporary comfort in the form of rebound sex.

There were several times, years ago when I called her at 2:00 in the morning for a ride, after I had walked out on a bad situation ( like my girlfriend making out with some dude at a club) and she was always there for me. She would come and get me, take me back to her place and well …. made me forget my troubles for a while.

But this time I couldn’t return the favor, at least not in the same way. I’m in a serious, committed, monogamous relationship and she knows this. That is why I was so upset. She knows that I would not and could not do anything to hurt Remi or risk what I have with her. And her, putting the moves on me, in our driveway, minutes from Remi coming home from work, put me in a very uncomfortable position.

I haven’t been an angel since meeting Remi and I made my share of mistakes early on in our relationship. Even though she says she forgives me, I still feel like I’m always on probation. As if I already had my two strikes and one more ….. I’m out. I can’t risk even the appearance of impropriety! I can’t risk Remi not trusting me again. This is why I was so pissed. I felt like Tony knew my entire situation and still put me in a weird spot.

My phone was ringing again. It was Remi. I couldn’t ignore her call again, so I answered, “Hey babe.”
“Hey what’s up?”

She could tell something was up. It’s that psychic connection couples get. Call it women’s intuition, whatever … that shit is scary accurate.

“Umm nothing,” I mumbled as I shushed Tony and pleaded with her silently, to stay quite in the background. At this point, Tony already knew she had fucked up. With her head leaning back against the headrest, rubbing her temples, I could see she wasn’t going to cause any more problems. But I still had to find out how long till she drove up, “So are you on your way home?”

“Uh … yea … just got to my car.” I could hear the curiosity in her tone of voice. She knew something was up but I pretended to ignore it.

“OK babe, I’ll see you when you get home. Bye.” And I hung up on her a little too fast. My gut wrenched at my own behavior. I knew I was making the situation worse by acting guilty. But old habits are hard to break.

I turned to Tony and told her that Remi would be home any minute now. She had to go. While she didn’t exactly seem drunk anymore, I didn’t feel comfortable telling her to drive off either.

Luckily there is a cheap motel a few blocks away. I offered to drive her over there and get her a room but she refused my help. She swore she would get a room and stay off the streets till she was stone cold sober.

She apologized a few more times, but I think we were both in shock and just wanted the night to end. She took off and I ran into the house and waited for Remi to get home ……..

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