How can I invite my guy friend platonically without him misreading it?

[MissSunshine2]

My parents are going away later in the year for a vacation and I'm house sitting and taking care of their cat for them, while they're away. I am a true extrovert and there's nothing I love better than a good house party with my best friends. I'm planning if my parents agree to it, to invite a group of my friends over for lunch. Most of my guy friends and girlfriends are fine with me, but one guy with Asperger's used to always think that my invitations were sexually based, when in truth even when I liked him, that was the furthest thing from my mind with all my friends. I was thinking that a good way to make everyone comfortable with that would be to invite my two guy friends' girlfriends to join us, but I don't think my parents would allow it as they're strangers to them and I'm an honest person, I don't lie or sneak around. Is it likely to make things awkward if I include him in the invitation when there'll be about six of us there? I'm going to go ahead and throw it anyway, I just don't want anyone feeling awkward or misinterpreting my intentions.

[kitty_404]

You could reply with something like this:

If it's a group lunch with around six people, I don't think the invitation itself is the issue. The bigger concern is that this particular friend has misunderstood your intentions before. Rather than changing the guest list, I'd make the invitation very clear that it's a casual group get-together at your parents' house while you're house-sitting.

You don't need to invite extra people just to prove your intentions. If your parents aren't comfortable having strangers in their home, that's a reasonable boundary to respect. Just communicate clearly about what the event is, and if he still misinterprets it despite that, that's something he needs to manage—not something you can completely prevent.

[Nikki1989]

That really depends on the guy. Some men will instantly get the wrong idea. Ambiguity is what gets misread, not the invitation itself.

[SamIam96]

When you invite him, make it clear that you're inviting a whole bunch of other people, too. When it's time for your party to break up show him the door when you're saying good bye to other friends.

[Iron_Man]

Why bother cleaning up after them and going through all that trouble and sexual tension with the one guy? Meet them out for lunch that’s a Safeway

[sage2021]

Just don't let him be the only one to leave last.
Make him leave with everyone else and that way you two won't be alone together.

[Paige2006]

No matter how you do it he will probably misread it