I’m 22, and I’ve developed a fairly serious crush on a 19-year-old woman from my university tutorials. We’ve met around ten times this semester, which is apparently enough time for me to develop feelings and an unofficial evidence file.
She’s quiet, hardworking, considerate, and attractive. Our conversations are enjoyable, and she seems engaged when we talk. We’ve studied together one-on-one. In class, she approaches me to sit beside me, and she remembers little details about me. Naturally, I have remembered that she remembers.
Texting provides less material. She rarely starts conversations there, although recently she messaged first to ask for programming help. We ended up chatting and joking about our studies. I enjoyed it. Whether the programming question contained anything beyond a programming question remains outside my technical abilities.
There’s also our upcoming university exchange overseas. We’ve arranged adjacent seats on the flight, and she’s agreed to share an Airbnb with me and our friends. For two nights, it may be just the two of us there, in separate bedrooms.
These are concrete travel arrangements. Unfortunately, none came with a box marked romantic interest.
She seems independent and has mentioned that she can hesitate to approach people even when she wants to become closer to them. That makes me wonder whether she’s shy about showing interest. It also gives my hopeful interpretation a very comfortable place to sit.
To be fair, I haven’t made my feelings particularly obvious either. I initiate conversations and invite her to study, both activities that people without crushes are also legally permitted to do.
I’m thinking about asking her out after finals. I’d like to know whether there could be something here, but I’m afraid of rejection and of making a friendship awkward before we travel together.
Would an invitation feel sudden to her? Has she been quietly interested, or have I built a romantic subplot around ordinary friendliness?
For now, we have adjacent flight seats and separate bedrooms. I’m still trying to work out whether asking her on a date belongs anywhere in the itinerary.
