I've been in this hilarious situation at least twice. I wouldn't wish it upon any of you, but I wonder if anyone has gone through the same ordeal:

2 AM. The party's dying down, and all of the hookups for the night have paired off. Now, in a quiet, secluded spot, it's just you and her... and that other guy.

This guy hasn't left her side for half an hour. He jockeys for position like a NASCAR driver, turns his shoulder to you, takes your spot when you go for another drink. You don't confront each other directly, but the meaning is clear: this is a waiting game. The two of you are in for the long haul, and last man standing wins.

Clearly she's not interested in him. Can't he take a hint and leave?

Huh. Maybe we should ask ourselves the same question. There's only one way to get out of this situation: leave. Being in a cockblock marathon means that you've already messed up horribly, and you need to cut out before you waste any more time. So let's look at what leads to this, and how to avoid it.

  • Escalate. I'm all for persevering to the bitter fucking end, but the end needs to come sooner than later. If her buying temperature is still lukewarm after a couple hours, it's just not going to happen. Next time, ramp up the flirting sooner.

  • Disarm the other guy. Only two betas would ever mutually cockblock each other. don't passive-aggressively ignore the competition. Address the problem sooner.

  • Don't put all your eggs in one basket. One of the golden rules of seduction: don't treat someone as a priority when you are only an option. I think this is part of a larger topic...

  • ...be dynamic. A CB marathon reeks of stagnation. If you're meeting new people, flirting with many women, bringing friends together and bringing energy to the party, I really don't think this situation will ever surface.

Good luck!