Saturday, January 12, 2013

Watch Out for the Subtle Cuddle



Gus in a Subtle Cuddle.
When I was younger I naively thought men and women could be friends. So I thought nothing of it when a guy friend of mine invited me over to his house for dinner. My birthday was in a couple days, I knew he liked to grill out and I thought others would be there, so I accepted. No big deal, right?

When I got there, I was invited to a glass of wine, hors d'oeuvres, music and candles. No one else was there. I can't remember, but I'm sure I asked where everyone else was with a vague response. A little strange, I thought. But again, I reasoned, it's my birthday dinner, right? And people are busy, a little flaky, whatever. So we sat down to dinner, which was great and chit-chatted. It was nice. Normal. Then it got down right weird.

He invited me to watch TV in the basement and since he has a nicer TV than I do, I reasoned, why not? So I accepted. We sat down and because its like 10 degrees cooler in the basement, he handed me a blanket. I readily accepted and snuggled in. Then, he snuggled in right next to me. To be clear. I am a cuddler at heart and can snuggle with the best of them, but not with my friends. So I politely, but firmly said, "Thanks for dinner. But what are you doing? I don't snuggle with my friends."

Obviously he felt weird and so did I, so I left soon after. And our relationship has been off ever sense. Sometimes, he's down-right rude. Whatever. The point is, whether you're a girl or a guy, this can happen to you. To avoid a similar awkward exchange, watch out for the following warning signs of the subtle cuddle:

1)    Only you are invited to dinner.
2)    The mood is set to romantic when you get to his/her house.
3)    He/she invites you to watch TV in the coldest room in his/her house.
4)    Once he/she snuggles up and you freak out, he/she gets a wounded look in their eyes.

Have you ever been a victim of the subtle cuddler? What did you do. I'd like to know