Saturday Stories: In the Awkwardness of It All...

If I'm honest, I feel like I'm running out of stories. 

I've had a couple of droughts in my life when I go on no dates and no prospects. These have lasted anywhere between two years to three and a half years. Yep. Three and a half years with no one to crush on. Sad. 

The two year drought was about eight years ago. And it was over after I started college back up for my last year. That two year break made me feel more confident in a lot of ways, but definitely unsure of navigating the dating scene. 

In one of my classes, there was a very cute young man. Mark. I usually arrived early to this class, and sat outside in the hallway and read or studied. I seemed to be more successful at doing those things when I was not at home. Mark started to come to class around the same time I did and we'd sit next to each other and talk. Talk about our day and other stuff. We'd sit next to each other in class and sometimes be in the same group. We even discovered that he knew my cousin. I thought—FATE! This is FATE!

Since it was a consistent thing, I discussed with my roommates and they convinced me that maybe he did like me. I waited until we didn't have class anymore. I emailed him during the Christmas break and then invited him to a party my roommates were having. He came. 

Let me re-emphasize that: HE CAME!

I was shocked. And excited. And super nervous. Definitely not how I planned things.

And then, a couple of weeks later, I used our school directory and called him and asked him to do something on Friday. He already had plans. I suggested we could do something in the future. He said he'd call.

Mark never called.

I didn't have any other classes with him.

I never saw Mark again.

Back in the saddle? Nope. It took a little while longer. 

And maybe that's why I'm sometimes so hesitant about "making the first move". I have a hard time distinguishing between when a guy wants to just be friends/be nice and when a guy is interested. 

I've scoured the internet and let me tell you... the answers are ridiculous. The only good answer I get is from my SIL: "You just need more data. Keep gathering information."

So I gather... and gather... but then I have a bad habit of analyzing the gathering. Darn advanced degree that doesn't allow me to just gather. 

So, if you have any conclusions as to how to tell whether or not a guy is interested or just being friendly—please hit me up in the comments. It's going to save me another round of embarrassment. (And one day, I'll compile my own list and share it here.)