I really don't know where to start with this as it just feels like one big mess. I have namechanged but have been on mumsnet a while.
About 3 months ago a really good friend introduced me to a group of their other friends as I'd had a bit of a crap time on the friend front and she thought it would do me good meeting new people. I'm a single mum and I haven't had much of a social life since the kids were born and the few friends I had up til then were mum's I'd met at school and a friend who I'd met through 1 of them and a couple of friends I've had since school.
I seem to have been accepted into this new group and all of them are lovely apart from 1 who is a guy who seems to be a complete flirt. He's not a bad guy but when he drinks the flirting is ramped up and it sometimes makes me feel a bit uncomfortable but the others are great at being a buffer when this happens as my self esteem has been really shit over the past few years due to bad relationships both romantic and frendwise as I admit I have been a doormat in the past. Since becoming part of this group they have made it possible in me going out twice this was a big thing for me as I hadn't been out since my oldest was 3 and he's 15 now.
About 3 weeks ago I was invited with the kids to a bbq at one of the houses and was told an old friend of the group was back after working abroad for 6 months so there would be a new face. I turned up and the new face turned out to be someone I already knew and considered a friend.
This friend was the brother of an old school friend and we always got on well. Before he went abroad we had gotten closer and he became a friend if mine and not just the brother of a friend iykwim. If he was at a lose end he would come round watch films have a drink and some thing to eat and he would go home. We had a film night not long before he left and got a bit drunk we ended up having a drunken kiss as he was leaving he pulled away said not like this and left. He messages the next day apologising for the kiss and said it hoped it would ruin our friendship and I replied of course not. We kept in touch while he was working away with the odd text asking how I was and what had been up to and up until last weekend we were texting and he had popped round and we seemed to be as friendly as before he left.
This is where the problem lies. Last weekend I went out with the group and he was there everyone seemed to be getting on fine then at one point flirty guy got me cornered and tried to kiss me I pushed him away and told him I liked his as friend but no more and not to do it again. I headed back to where the group was and sat down and everyone apart from my friend who has recently come back. He looked like he was in a really bad mood and I asked him if he was ok but he was very short with me and then ignored me most of the night.
The next morning I text him to ask him if I had done anything to upset him as if I had it was intentional and I wanted to make things right between us as I didn't want to lose him as a friend.
He sent a text saying he was fine and that he hoped I had enjoyed my time with flirty guy. I asked him what he meant and he ignored me. I saw my friend who introduced me to the group twice this week and the first time I mentioned I was worried about the mutual friend and about the text exchange she was confused as me but she's later told me mutual friend and flirty guy had been talking later in the night and mutual friend mood had gotten worse.
How do I sort this out and not lose my friend I haven't messaged him since last Saturday as I thought if I gave him space he'd calm down from whatever has upset him and we could sort things out. I miss him and we are all supposed to be going out at the end of the month as it's a birthday in the group and if things stay this way then it's going to be awkward for everyone and I'm starting to think maybe I should back out and not go.