I first met Julie as part of an extended friend group while she was still married. Her husband was an asshole; he was part of a conservative, patriarchical religion and was dismissive and belittling to her when they came to social gatherings. Eventually, I had enough of his bullshit and made a few sarcastic comments, which he did not appreciate. I didn't care.
After years of marriage, she finally had enough and divorced him. I only heard about it second-hand but was glad she was free of him. I saw her again at the next group party and had a brief but nice chat with her. I had never spoken with her before; her ex wouldn't tolerate her speaking with anyone besides the other women.
I didn't think much of it until I received a text from her a few days later, asking if I wanted to meet for lunch. I agreed, and she followed up to clarify that this wasn't a date. She just wanted to talk with a "platonic male friend". Although I may have been interested in dating, she had expertly and preemptively put me in the "friend zone".
Julie was certainly attractive, Early thirties, I think. She had dressed modestly when she came to our gatherings with her husband. I almost didn't recognize her when she walked to our table at the restaurant; she was wearing a summer dress that revealed her legs, shoulders, and enough cleavage to turn the heads of most of the men as she walked past. She had a new, flattering haircut and expert-looking makeup. She was a new woman, and my heart sank when I remembered that she had already made it clear she wasn't interested in me.
We had a nice lunch, got to know each other better, and met a couple more times before she finally confided in me:
"Steve, I've only had sex with my ex, and I'm pretty sure he was terrible at it. I want to make up for lost time and start getting intimate with guys, and would really appreciate a safe, reliable, nonjudgmental guy friend to watch out for me."
I sat silent, lost for words.
"I feel like the other women I know would either be judgy or get too involved in my sex life. Like, I know they would mean well, but I don't want them constantly giving advice or second-guessing my decisions. I want to make my own mistakes."
I nodded, not sure what to say.
"But I'd like someone I can trust to be there in case..."
"You make a big enough mistake", I offered.
"Yes! Thank you so much! I knew I could count on you!"
I wanted to say that I hadn't actually agreed to anything, but couldn't speak. She had me.
"Steve, I'm going to see a guy on Friday night, and I'm probably going to bring him back to my place. I'm sure it will be fine, but I'll feel safer if you parked outside my apartment in case I need you."
"You want me to hang out in my car outside your apartment while you bring home this guy?"
"Yes! Thanks so much! I gotta run, but I'll text you the details. You're the best!"
I sat with my mouth open, unable to object or question her plans, as she got up and left.
I didn't hear anything from Julie for the next few days and couldn't summon the courage to text her about her plans. I felt a bit resentful that she believed that I wouldn't have my own plans for a Friday night and embarrassed to admit that she was right. Finally, on Friday afternoon she texted:
"Ok. I figure we'll be there about 9:30 or so. I'll text you updated ETA when I can."
She texted a map link for her apartment, and her apartment number.
I was about to text her to ask what I was supposed to do parked outside. How would I know if she needed help? Before I did, she texted a web link, which I opened on my phone.
It was a webcam portal page. She had two cameras set up, one covering the front part of her studio apartment and the other covering the bed. Evidently she expected me to watch her entertain her guy friend incognito on video.
I could feel myself blushing. This all seemed to happen so fast and without my input. I tried to reassure myself that she was merely planning to bring the guy inside, have a drink, and maybe kiss. Certainly she was just getting into the dating scene and wasn't ready to start having sex yet.