What’s a common mistake people make when they’re trying to flirt with you? I’m curious about the moment an apparently promising conversation takes a small, unnecessary detour into absolutely not.
Is it a compliment that sounds suspiciously reusable? Teasing that requires you to do all the work of finding it charming? Or so much confidence that there doesn’t seem to be room for your participation?
There must be an awkward gap between what someone intends and what actually arrives. They may be aiming for mysterious while you wonder whether they’ve heard your question. They may be aiming for playful while you wait for the part you’re supposed to enjoy.
I don’t mean an imperfect sentence or a little nervousness. Flirting already asks people to speak normally while being unusually aware of their own hands. Some allowance seems reasonable.
I’m interested in the recurring move that people apparently expect to work on you—and that reliably doesn’t. What is it, and can a perfectly ordinary conversation afterward still rescue the situation?
