Today was my last day at work, and I decided to leave a little present for a coworker I really like.

The gift itself is pretty silly. The thing is, I was constantly playing with mine at work, to the point where it became something people associated with me.

I bought a brand-new one for everyone on my team, except for her. I deliberately left her my old, visibly worn-out one. I thought giving her something so characteristic of me would make the gesture a bit more personal.

She's currently on vacation, so she won't find it for another week or two.

Now, here's the problem.

I've liked this girl for a while, and I've had a feeling she might like me back, although I don't have any solid evidence. She approached me once or twice when we first started working together, but I've always been quite cold and reserved around her. Not because I wasn't interested, but precisely because I was. Whenever I'm around her, my mind goes blank and I struggle to act naturally.

Since I've now left the company, this might be my last opportunity to turn things into something more.

I'm assuming she'll eventually text me something like, "Hey, thanks for the gift!" But honestly, I have no idea how to take the conversation from there.

I don't want to come across as overly eager, but I also don't want to repeat the same mistake of seeming uninterested.

Ideally, I'd like to use that first interaction to build some chemistry and eventually ask her out.

How would you approach this? Would you keep things playful and see whether she engages, or make your intentions clear and ask her out?

And from a woman's perspective, how would you interpret receiving his personal, worn-out stress ball when everyone else got a new one?

Any advice is appreciated!

I’ve had this happen twice recently, and now I’m wondering if I’ve been missing something obvious.

The first time, I was out with a woman I wasn’t dating. While walking through a crowd, she reached her hand back toward me, almost like she wanted me to take it. I didn’t. Later that night she came on to me pretty strongly, we made out, and she invited me home.

Then, a few weeks later, another woman I’m friends with did basically the exact same thing. Again, I didn’t take her hand.

Neither was someone I’d ever held hands with before.

So is this actually a thing women deliberately do when they’re interested in a guy? Or am I reading too much into it because of what happened the first time?

Is there a good way/appropriate way for me to indicate to somebody that I am flirting/tell them they’re allowed to text me.
I had some maintenance people come to my house to set something up. One of the guys ended up staying out in the living room and just chatting. Turns out we actually went to high school together grew up in the same area. (we did not know one other, but I knew of him and his younger sibling and he knew my older sibling.) We had a really good conversation, and I have a feeling that he was flirting, given some of the things that he was saying.
At the end he handed me his business card and told me that I am welcome to reach out if I have any more issues or questions.
I ended up having an issue and texted him about it. He called and got it resolved.
However, I believe this is strictly a work phone and it’s likely monitored.
Is there a way, given that he already has my number, to indicate that I am interested and would like to talk to him about outside of that setting.
He does not have social media, nor do I really, (This is something that we were chatting about.)

Reasons I interpreted as flirting
-He pronounced my last name correctly, which is something that doesn’t happen often, and when I commented on it, he said he tends to have a thing for women of that/my ethnicity.
-very friendly and talkative.
- when helping me set up, some stuff was relatively close to me. Closer than with a normal social bubble would be.
-when he called he used my nickname. I have a common enough name that has a very obvious nickname that most people do call me. But it is not how I introduce myself. Really only my friends and people who know me well call me it. Think being named Alyssa and being called Ali. ( my best friend was over and she probably did call me by my nickname, but even when I sent him a text, I used my full name to let him know it was me.

Update- thank you for the help. I wanted to make a move but just wasn’t sure how to go about it. I ended up using an in when he asked a question to say if you’d like to talk about it more it would be cool to grab a drink or your welcome to text me from a non work line.
This worked we texted a bit and just spent 5 hours on the phone. It was nice. I haven’t been interested in anyone in a while and felt out of practice. Even if this goes nowhere it was nice to have a connection and successfully shoot my shot.
Wish me luck.

I'm a 21-year-old male, and this is for women in around the same age range.

Hello I need advice! I have been talking wiht a man every days for three month now, we see eachother mostly on the weekend and lately I want to progress a bit more in the relationship.

I wanna try like flirt with him and introduce some physical touch tho I'm really shy and I never flirt before so I don't have any ideas of what is flirting and what is not ?

Thank you !

So my ex girlfriend (22F) of an year broke up with me in February this year and largely we have been apart since then until recently she broke no contact and after catching up with each other things got a little weird because I pressured her to be on friendly terms which she denied explicitly that she doesn’t wanna do anything anymore with me again and when she mentioned about her failed talking stage after our breakup I sorta just lost my mind and just exploded all my emotions onto her through texts now after a few days later,I initated a conversation again and subtly flirted for the first time since breakup by saying today’s date is 10/10 thats you and she replied with melting face emoji and said back “thats you” while also saying that you might have said that to more people after chatting up a bit she got distant again which makes me wonder if I could rizz her up without stressing her out and see where this goes or should i respect her boundaries and space? If i can re attract her by flirting,what should I keep in mind to not cross any lines as well as make persuade her without losing any self respect. P.S-She barely gets approached by any good guys cuz we live in a small town and I believe I can use that to flirt with her and re attract her again and ofc I know I made some stupid mistakes but I genuinely love her a lot and I am working on becoming better.

My girlfriend sent me this:
“Some guy who hit on me a while ago randomly texted me out of nowhere. I told him I’m in a relationship, and he’s honestly such a weirdo.”
How should I respond to her?

I have known my supervisor for 3 years and she has always been nice to me and helped me in different situations. Now I asked her to supervise my thesis. I went to her office the other day and we discussed my thesis but out of nowhere she started asking personal questions and also shared about herself. Then asked if I went to the gym, and I should join a co gym and maybe help some girls life weights, she also knew little details from my personal life that shared with her 2 3 years back that I didn't expect her to remember. Then she asked what was the last movie I watched and where I lived. And when I was about to leave I asked her to write a recommendation letter, she asked if I needed a basic or a special one. What caught me off guard was her telling me her age during our conversation. So is she flirting or just being friendly.

Today, a guy I secretly like was flirting with me quite a lot, or at least that’s how it felt. The problem is that a lot of his flirting involved making me feel stupid or acting like he knew better than me.

I really don’t understand this kind of flirting. How is making someone feel dumb supposed to make them like you?
To me, it seems like the opposite of what you should do if you’re trying to win someone over.

For example, he’ll twist my words and make it sound like I said something I didn’t or say that I don’t think things through enough. At one point, he straight-up called me stupid, and I genuinely didn’t find it funny at all. It was pretty obvious that I didn’t understand why he was saying that, and honestly, I was more annoyed than amused. He ended up apologizing to me at least twice afterward. I think he realized that his comment hadn’t gone over well, but honestly, it really bothered me. I don’t mind a little teasing during flirting, and I actually think it can be fun when it happens occasionally. But when it’s the main thing someone does, over and over again, it stops being playful and just becomes hurtful.

I genuinely don’t understand what makes some guys think this is an effective way to flirt. How is making someone feel bad about themselves supposed to make them attracted to you? Does this actually work for some people, or am I missing something?

So I was working yesterday (we’ll call him Starbucks guy) right and me and my coworker were talking. He goes to grab dishes and to put them in the dishwasher which is in the back. I guess I didn’t realize he left so this other guy
(who is super cute btw) passes by. So I’m talking to Starbucks guy about this one dude that works there that always wears super cool jorts. So I’m like this jorts guy is so tuff and cute guy walks by and thinks I’m talking to him and is like who and im like (Jorts guys name won’t expose for obvious reasons) and he’s like “ohhhh yeah he’s pretty tuff.”Then Idk what possessed me to say this too, but it was also the way I said it aswell that was like flirty. I was like “not gonna lie I think your pretty tuff too.” and he was like “I’m also not gonna I also lowkey think your pretty tuff too.” B ro that sent butterflies straight to my soul im such a girl. Then my coworker had to interrupt the moment of course. 🙄 The way I said it tho was like i don’t know I guess I felt bold in the moment it was like teasing.

I’m a 31-year-old guy interested in a 28-year-old woman I met at work. We’re in different departments, so our opportunities to interact face-to-face are limited.

I made my intentions clear because I genuinely wanted to get to know her romantically. I invited her to watch a movie, we once spent our lunch break together and talked for an hour, and we’ve had conversations through Instagram and Office MS Teams. I eventually told her that I was genuinely interested in her and wasn’t looking for games or anything complicated.

She told me she appreciated my honesty, but she hadn’t had enough interaction with me to know what she felt or what to say. She suggested that we **“take things naturally”** because we still work together and she wanted to avoid unnecessary pressure.

Since then, I’ve tried to respect her pace. Sometimes she replies warmly and asks about me, but other times our conversations are brief or she takes hours to respond. Recently, she checked in on me while I was recovering from a fever, and we had another friendly conversation. These moments make me happy, but I know they don’t necessarily mean she’s developing romantic feelings.

Our office schedules may not overlap much in the coming months, so most of our communication will probably be online. I’m willing to keep getting to know her, but I don’t want to confuse patience with waiting indefinitely for someone who may never reciprocate my feelings.

**My questions:**

1. When a woman says she wants to “take things naturally,” does it mean she’s open to exploring a romantic connection, or could she simply be unsure about her feelings?
   
2. Is it reasonable to keep initiating conversations occasionally, provided I respect her boundaries and don’t pressure her?
   
3. How can I distinguish genuine romantic progress from ordinary friendliness?
   
4. At what point should I step back and ask for clarity instead of continuing to wait?

I’m not expecting her to owe me anything just because I’ve been patient or sincere. I understand that feelings can’t be forced, and I’m prepared to accept it if she eventually decides she doesn’t see me romantically.

I just want to know whether giving this connection time is reasonable or whether I’m setting myself up for disappointment.

I’d appreciate honest answers, especially from women who have been in a similar situation. Please be real with me, even if the truth isn’t what I want to hear.

If she is happily married and she lets me smell behind her right ear, Is that cheating? If I get turned on because she smells as sexy as I think she does is it still ok? Is that crossing the line? Can someone tell us where the line is?

We've been talking every day since Monday, he shows interest in my life, but I don't know if he's just friendly, I feel like I could be a little more flirtatious but I don't know how to do it without scaring him…

or what can I do to know if we’re on the same page? pls help

Well, to be honest, i never knew how to flirt with someone, just like everybody, but here its the thing, i don't get it.

My friend says im good looking and carismatic, but that "Funny guy" is gone once i start talking to a girl. They also say that im not the same as i am with them. i start acting serious and things like that.

The fact is, sometimes i have some troubles understanding jokes, and i thought that the same can happen with flirting, as it is subtle.

so my question is, is this something fixable? like, can learn to flirt like i learned to be sociable, or im just autistic and im taking this shit too serious?

(Also, English is not my native language, so i tried wrote everything i wanted to say)

If you have any comments, i will be responding.

thanks and good luck to you! Anon Reader!

I slid into this girls DMs and said when can I take you out. She said she’s not dating rn. Should I not say anything or what should I do. Please help asap

So I have been, like, randomly talking to this girl, and this morning, I sent her a text, like.

Hey, some other account is using your photos. Do you know that?

She is like, " Who? Tell me, I'm scared ( like really scared)

Then I sent an account filled with moon photos with a video of treat me like white tees.

All of this just to hear, " yo", I was so scared, and then you can do better :(

I'm 19[M] and I recently a girl I really liked said she doesn't want a relationship like a week ago and things are very awkward. I'm currently a month in [30 days] but damn is the social awkwardness still there. I know most of the friction to open up or approach people is mostly self sabotage but I usually wonder what to talk about and most of the things I'm genuinely interseted in tend to be either a physical attribute like clear skin or high cheek bone on their facial structure but that seems objectifying much. I have personal interests which at times I look back and think may be hard to find people to connect with on, I like chess and drawing. What should I do if I want to at the best of scenarios flirt with people of common interests we can connect over? Any advice also on the rejection? I don't know how to maintain contact without the hopes of her then wanting the relationship and at the same time keeping things platonic and more so grounds for good friendship

Met a girl around a week ago, we quickly matched, and that evening we kissed. We exchanged number and I ask her out, she says yes, and sunday, she told me she would be free Wednesday (tomorrow) and Friday. So I suggest a plan for Wednesday, and now she's ghosting me. Like, what the actual f*** is going on ? What have I done wrong ?

I (24 m) really like this girl (22 f) who is on her 3rd semester in Physics and Astronomy bachelor. I myself am on 5th semester in the same field, and my 3rd and 4th semesters were extremely rough.

Our entire story goes something like this:

There is an Astronomy event every month that we hold together with a team. It's me, the girl I like (let's call her Mandy), and three other girls and a guy. Mandy and I clicked very quickly and I have since I met her liked being around her. I don't often click instantly with people, and I can quite easily be wooed by girls who seem nice around me.

A few weeks later, we are in our Uni bar, talking, and I notice that she's being very nice and touchy with everyone (guys and girls), and she even mentions that she feels like she's in her "slut phase" (pardon the profanity). I quite quickly lost the spark she had instilled in me because of that comment. I still thought she was cute, and she was definitely still nice, but I could easily live with her being just a friend. That same day, she mentioned to me that she had written a story that got published (I, too, am an aspiring writer, so this caught my interest). But she never told me anything about the story, or its title. I didn't ask, either.

Summer break comes to a close, and I meet her for another bar chat where we now talk about very personal issues. Over the summer she had gotten a boyfriend, who she was having trouble with now, and she was dealing with other issues, too, which I've promised her to keep to myself. A week later, I talk to her again, and she's broken up with the guy, and we talk about the hardship of dating. I seem to regain the spark I had, because the way she talks about how she liked that guy, it seems like she wants something serious. During that talk, she also mentions that she thinks I'm a sweet guy. I, of course, am very moved by this.

Now, she also mentions some struggles with her 3rd semester. The same struggles I recall having. So I help her out loads. I give her non-syllabus books that helped me through the courses, I give her formula books and mind-maps, all to make her semester easier. This is mainly because I'd hate anyone to suffer the same mental catastrophe that was my 3rd and 4th semesters, but also I'm paying her quite a bit more attention than others.

Since, I am getting very interested in her again, I remember the story she wrote. I do a lot of online digging and eventually find and contact the publisher and ask for a copy. I get the copy, read it and bring it for next bar meeting (last friday) where I surprise her with it. She turns red immediately, and hides her face, laughing. We hadn't talked about that story since that one time, which by now is half-a-year ago. She can't believe it, and wants to hear the story of how I got it. She seems to be very appreciative.

During the weekend, I couldn't stop thinking about her and how I'd love to ask her out. I know she's on hinge (I don't use it, but someone I know told me they saw her on it), so she still seemed to be looking to date. All I had to do was find something to do just the two of us (and we share many interests, so it shouldn't be that difficult).

Just today, I met her in the hall. She seemed busy at the time, so I walked on, but then she asks if I wanted to talk to her. I just ask how everything went after I left last friday, and I point out a hickey on her neck. She laughs and tells me things went a bit overboard. The guy that left her the hickey apparently wasn't "boyfriend material" and she now also mentions that she thinks "Maybe I shouldn't have a boyfriend at the moment" because of the Uni stress on the side. This kinda crushed me... Not so much the guy she went out with, but more so the fact that she thinks she might not want to date anyone.

I'm fairly certain that she doesn't know about my feelings, although maybe she suspects something (idk, I am horrible at picking up cues). Part of me still really wants to pick up the courage to ask her out, but another part of me is scared that things will be incredibly awkward between us. At least now we are very good friends.

What do you think? Should I still try? Is there a possibility she might change her mind? What would you do in my place?

So I'm on the spectrum and social interactions are my kryptonite so I am historically terrible at realizing when someone is into me. Usually, I only find out because a friend or family member literally has to spell it out for me. But lately, a guy I work with has been doing some stuff that has me wondering if he's actually trying to flirt.

We have a really small team at my job, but I’ve noticed I'm the person he talks to the most by far. It pretty much started when he found out we share some kind of obscure interests. He got super excited and started talking to me way more, and he’s been making a lot more jokes around me lately too.

The things that really threw me off happened recently. The other day, he walked with me all the way to this cafe around the corner to get lunch. It’s a spot all of us coworkers go to all the time for a quick bite, and we usually go in groups if we have a minute. So I totally assumed he was getting food too, but he didn't buy a single thing. He literally just tagged along just to walk and talk with me.

Then, several times he waited around at the end of the day and walked with me out to my car.

To me, just chatting or being nice is regular coworker stuff, but waiting around and walking with me for no real reason feels different. Am I totally overthinking this, or does it sound like he's trying to show he likes me?

Especially when you’re both men. I know some straight men like to make jokes where the punchline is being gay, and aside how that annoys me, it’s also been leaving me confused. How can you tell when a guy is just joking around? I’ve been under the impression that jokes like that are usually for an audience, so when a straight man friend of mine (who knows I like men) started joking about me sucking him off in our DMs, it struck me as weird.

So I'm a 17 year old male and I go to a boarding school, a supervisor at the hostel had court me at a pub in the town I boarded in. It was a mates 18th party so I came into town for it, I was pretty smashed when I first talked with her. She first offered to buy me drinks but I turned her down, about an hour later we met again as I returned to the pub. She called out to me and made me get a drink of which she paid for, i thanked her and drank it. I was soon kicked out for being underaged, she met me outside and gave me a hug before leaving.

For some context she was at the same school I board at when I was a year 7 and she was year 12, we were pretty close back then as friends as well. A few years after graduation she also worked at the same place I did, I spent 2 hours with her almost daily. We have been close the whole time.

Ps: I'm genuinely hammered when typing this and it is 4AM so I apologise for terrible writing.

Context: Female. Ive realised there's a pattern where a lot of guys be brushing the hair out of my face..I still don't know why because it's weird to ask.

Usually we are just talking n they suddenly brush the hair out of my face..most times they just brush it out even though they didn't tell me there's something in my hair..n tbh I can do it myself?

Is it flirting? Or do guys just do this? Maybe they just like touching my hair or sum...

Am I dumb I swear they r making a move but like it's been so many guys I'm actually lost. They can't all be making a move..right?