Sex & Relationships

Ask Ashley: A pregnant pause

I had a one-night stand with one of my friends and now my period is late. I don’t know if I should tell him, but I could really use the support, emotionally. I also don’t want to harm the dynamics of our friendship. We both just wanted it to be a one-time thing, but now I’m freaking out. What should I do?— Anonymous

OK, so your period is late, but did you take a pregnancy test? I wouldn’t jump to conclusions and drive yourself (or him!) crazy without taking a few of those.

If he’s normally the friend you’d ask to be there for you when you take such a test, well then I’d call him up and ask him to stop by Duane Reade on his way over. I know you don’t want to change the dynamic of your relationship, but you kind of did that already by sleeping together. This is just one of the potential responsibilities that comes along with taking it to that level. He’s equally accountable for the outcome if the test is positive — no matter how casually the two of you thought it’d be — so why should you have to experience any of this alone?

I wouldn’t let him off the hook so easily because you’re scared it will hurt your friendship. If anything, the situation will really test it. If it turns out you are pregnant, you’ll see whether he can handle this like a man — and one that cares about his friend — whether that means helping you emotionally, financially or both. If you’re not, you will have both learned the hard way that you need to be more careful in the future — with him or anyone else you share a “one-time thing” with.

I feel guilty making my boyfriend pay for all our dates because I make more money than he does. How can I help out financially without hurting his pride?

— C.C., 24, Long Island

If he loves you, then I’m sure he doesn’t mind paying all the time.

When you love someone, you would spend your last dollar on them — guy, girl, no matter who’s paying! That’s just how it goes. With that being said, your concern proves your love for him. You want him to be able to save and not worry about money down the road.

Use that as your excuse for offering to help out a little bit. Tell him that you’d like to chip in occasionally because you want to build a life together. This way, it shows him that you really have his back and that you want to see your relationship grow.

It’s not about hurting his pride or the fact that you make more money than him — two things you shouldn’t even bring up — it’s because you’re a team. Not to mention, we’re living in the 21st century!

Now, if he says “no, thank you,” then drop it and just let him do his thing. For now. As long as it doesn’t get to a point where you’re not going out anymore because he can’t afford it, then it’s fine.

If it does get to that point, though, then you might bring it up and kindly offer to help again, because you shouldn’t have to sacrifice your happiness because of his pride. And at the end of the day, if your reasons are genuine, then I think eventually he’ll see that.

Have a question? E-mail AshleyDupre@nypost.com and follow her on Twitter at @ashleydupre.