I’m 27, back in college, and apparently capable of pursuing an education while being completely defeated by the idea of asking a man for his phone number.
I went back to school at 25, partly because of my only official boyfriend. We lasted six months. His lack of motivation helped clarify that I needed something of my own to work toward. An unlikely contribution to my education, but a contribution.
Most of the guys at school are younger than me. I get along with them, but I think of them as classmates. Then my lab partner this semester turned out to be about three years older than I am. Initially, I was just pleased to meet someone around my age.
We started talking, and I enjoyed it. As the semester has gone on, that enjoyment has become slightly inconvenient. Somewhere between having good company and looking forward to our conversations, I started liking him.
We also sit next to each other in lecture. This could be a sign. It could also be the completely ordinary behavior of two people who already work together. I would appreciate it if classroom seating came with a brief explanation.
I don’t have much dating experience to help me interpret any of this. My ex and I met on Tinder, and I think I was the one who suggested meeting. Getting asked out isn’t something that regularly happens to me. People have called me cute, but that has yet to provide a useful next step.
Since that relationship ended, I haven’t been on a single date. Even the prospect has felt tiring. What I’ve always wanted is to get to know someone through everyday life, without having to find him in a bar or a club.
Now I’m enjoying exactly that kind of connection, and I can’t tell whether it’s friendship or the beginning of something else. I keep trying to find a natural excuse to ask for his number, as though our coursework might eventually assign it.
How do I move this beyond the seat next to mine without making our next lab painfully awkward?
