Having the Courage to Go Up to Someone You Like!

I know it might be hard to believe, but I've never approached I guy I liked out of the blue! I'm talking about the typical TV and movie scenes where a guy goes up to a girl and asks her to dance, or if he can join her for lunch, etc. These scenes usually end in rejection or awkward moments. I think it's a fear in everyone to approach someone of the opposite sex for any reason.

But funrun, you seem like such a confident, pretty girl! What do you have to be worried about?

Well, back when I was in school and hadn't had a boyfriend yet, I was way too shy to approach any guy, or any person, for any reason that wasn't directly warranted. I was lucky enough that most of my boyfriends developed out of mutual friendships, so in my more adult life, there never was a situation where either person needed to go out of their way to approach the other out of the blue.

Now I'm single and things are different. I recently found myself in exactly the situation you often see in movies and TV. . .

I was standing in line at my work cafeteria waiting for my steak to cook, and a cute guy stands in line behind me and orders a steak too. This was an easy enough excuse to strike up a conversation. There was nothing out of the way about innocently talking to the person next to you in line. But then when my steak was done I got in line to pay and did not see him again.

I sat in my usual spot, on the second tier level of a three-tier dining area. I sit so I can watch the big screen TV on the first level, which always has FOX news on.

As I ate, I noticed a guy sitting in front of the TV on the level below. He was alone, eating steak, but with his back mostly turned so I couldn't be sure it was the same guy. I stared for a while wondering what I should do.

He was sitting so close to the door that if I walked by and it wasn't him, there was no way I could gracefully keep walking to another table. Finally, I determined it had to be him, but then he started text messaging for several minutes.

I was almost half done with my lunch and was getting nervous about the prospect of walking down there. I certainly wouldn't want to annoy him, or interrupt whatever important messages he was getting on his blackberry. Ah, excuses excuses.

He stopped texting, so I stood up and walked down. Halfway down, I couldn't believe I was doing this. This is a work cafeteria, not the high school cafeteria!

I was relieved to see it was in fact the same guy. I had a whole line thought out in my head to explain how I had been sitting above and saw him sitting below alone, but I didn't even get it all out before he was pulling out a chair for me! He completely removed any chance of awkwardness.

We had a very nice conversation, and I was glad I took a chance to go out of my way to sit with a cute stranger.

Since nerdy gamers types have the stereotype of rejection and not having the nerves to go up to a girl, I hope my story is inspiring to you!