STORY: Am I Out of Line?

Ok. I'll admit it! I can be a dick, but I feel like it's provoked sometimes!

I made a couple of new friends recently. Really cool guys. The first guy I met (who I'll call Bear) had a "boyfriend" at the time who lived in another state. Bear and I decided to meet up strictly as friends because we were both looking to expand our circle of companions. No big deal.

As it turns out, Bear's "boyfriend" was supposed to move in with him, but never showed up and hasn't been heard of since. So, what was supposed to be him and I "hanging out" kind of turned into a date. A good one at that.

One problem, three words: bad - oral - hygiene.

I'm not a shallow person. I'm really, really not. I don't care if your teeth are crooked or not. As long as you are the man I need you to be, it's all good, but the one thing I can't deal with is dirty, plaqued teeth and death breath.

Where 99% of gay men would have either made fun of him for it or simply cut him off, I was nice enough to pull him aside and tell him that it was an issue, especially if our friendship was going to reach new heights. After the fact, I was still willing to be his friend and somewhat affectionate. I'll give MYSELF kudos for being open and honest, thank you very much.

We developed the kind of friendship where we busted each other's chops. Most of the time, he was the aggressor (but will deny it to this day). Although I do like to start shit sometimes, I'm not an alpha male, but I'll definitely finish what someone starts.

There were a couple of things I said that got under his skin and I always apologized for it. Not once has he paid me the same courtesy because he's said some real fowl stuff too, but I have thick skin and a witty mouth, so it wasn't a big deal.

Well, the other night, I hurled another diss, which set him over the edge. He hung up the phone on me twice. Now, according to his text message, he wants an apology.

I don't like hurting people's feelings who I care about and I am sorry for hurting his, but you know what? At the same time, he's disrespected me too. He's always got something negative to say about my body or my weight. I'm either too weak or my haircut is too unsexy... But, like I said: I have thick skin and I can take a hit. No biggie. That's why I kinda feel like I don't owe him anything. Mind you, he didn't give me a chance to apologize because he kept hanging up on me and that is the ultimate no no in my book.

When I do something wrong, I like to know about it. That way, I can apologize and change my behavior. I can't fix what I don't know needs to be fixed -- that's why I can't stand a lack of communication. Yeah, maybe I was out of line and should have kept my smart-ass mouth shut. On the other hand, maybe I shouldn't bother associating with someone who can't communicate or take back what they dish out?

He's been divorced, but am I out of line?