While I was at the local library, the barista working alone at an adjoining coffee shop sparked a conversation with me and complimented my outfit. She liked my shirt, and I told her that it was X band’s album cover. She responded “Oh my gosh my whole friend group loves them! I’ve always wanted to see them!” This could’ve been just out of kindness or because she works in a tipped position, but I thought that she may actually like me and I could tell she was packing up for the day, so I asked if she was free for some food after her shift. She smiled and said, “Unfortunately I AM busy, but I can give you my number!” Not wanting to put her on the spot, I gave her mine instead, so that she had the choice to reach out if she liked. As I walked away she did a little dance, I thought she was genuinely excited.
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Fast forward a few days and she hadn’t texted me. I thought nothing of it except a bit of disappointment and confusion but she didn’t text me, and that’s the choice I offered her by giving out my number instead of taking down hers, so be it.
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As I thought harder and harder and replayed the situation in my head, I kept thinking back to how excited and genuine her response was. I am dyslexic and I worried I could’ve written the incorrect number or she could’ve misplaced the note. So I figured “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right”. I bought 2 tickets to X band’s show, 3 hours from our town in October. I printed one of them out, wrote her a cute/short note on it, left my name and number again, folded it up into an origami letter, and went to visit the library.
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Sure enough, she was working. The first thing she does when she sees me is smile and wave. I casually ordered a drink that I didn’t actually want and while she was making it she’s telling me about how sorry she was, and how she just hadn’t gotten around to texting me. She REALLY wanted to but she’s been busy trying to find a new job and was just very overwhelmed with life at the moment. We chatted for a bit, long enough that she forgot to ring me out, and we both laughed. I told her I was glad she hadn’t quit just yet, handed her the ticket, tiped her 100%, and went to read my book. She blushed and smiled and said she’d open it on her break.
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I came back in a few hours, needing a break from my book. I just asked her for a cup of water and if she had opened it. Before I could even finish asking she excitedly told me she had opened it and would “go with me”. I told her that if something happens between now and the time of the show, the ticket was hers, and all I needed to do was electronically transfer it to her via phone. So if she wanted to go alone she was welcome to. She seemed not to mind and preferred to go with me. So I sat and finished my book near the coffee shop for the remainder of the day, occasionally stopping to buy a pastry and attempt to flirt. She told me about the new job she wanted to get, asked about my work life, complained about how she was being micromanaged by the current manager, etc. We shared a couple of chats like this throughout the day, and when the day ended for her and she was cleaning up, I once again asked her if she was busy after work. “Yeah I have to get dinner with my dad, he’s just in town for a couple of days from upstate New York.” We talk about that area and I tell her to have fun and that I can’t wait for her text. As I am turning to leave she says “here” and holds out her pinky finger. She pinky promises to text me after work. I tell her about how my little sister likes to “seal” pinky promises by each person kissing their own hand and she says “Yeah I do that too, but you don’t get that just yet.” This struck me as a very flirty thing to say and so I left, feeling ecstatic. Once again I waited with bated breath for a text.
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Fast forward 36 hours and I am writing this post. She did not text after work or at all, once again. I feel like I am being tortured with mixed signals and being led on. But I also think there may be a chance she is very overwhelmed with life/socially anxious/doesn’t know what to say.
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Am I missing anything? Am I an idiot? I clearly cannot show up AGAIN to see her at work again, I’ve already shot my shot twice. I can’t wait any longer and just need another perspective. Clearly, I could be misinterpreting some of the events and to her, I’m just some creepy guy she played along with so that I would leave.
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Thoughts?
1 comment
any update since then? What ended up happening