Married Dudes

There was a time (college) where you didn't have to check out a guy's left ring finger before you started flirting with him. Oh, those were the good ole days.

Now, whenever I see someone I find attractive, I immediately look at his hand. It's become a routine: cute face, nice body, left hand. And that will determine whether the nature of our relationship will be friendly, romantic, or nonexistant. As far as I know, I've never been involved with a married man, and I plan on keeping it that way.

Yet, for some reason, in the past couple days on two totally separate occasions, I have been accused of pursuing a married man. Yesterday, a married friend of E's wanted to introduce me to one of his single friends, so I agreed to meet them for drinks. When E found out, she freaked out and told me to "be good," as if she was worried that I was getting involved with a married friend of hers.

Then, I was having dinner with a married coworker of mine and he told me the last time we had hung out, one of our other coworkers had "reminded" him that he was married, because he suspected that something was going on between us.

The whole thing is slightly baffling, because I don't think that I come off as the type of girl who goes around having affairs. I guess it always looks slightly suspicious when a young, single girl is spending time with a married man, even if it is purely innocent and platonic. The whole thing has made me wonder though, if I should treat my married male friends differently from my single male friends? My gut feeling is no, of course not, a friend is a friend, but I'm beginning to think that may not be the case and I have to be more careful from now on when I am spending time with my married guy friends.