Social Question

kevbo's avatar

Dating gaffe. Have a laugh at my expense, plus WWYD?

Asked by kevbo (25675points) June 25th, 2015

TL;DR at bottom

Ten months ago, I stopped in a bagel shop that’s near my work. Before I knew it, the girl behind the counter and I were have a crazy-smooth flirt session in the midst of her taking and fixing my order. At the end, she opened the door for me to ask for her number, but did it by saying “I don’t know what the number here is [something, something].” In the moment, my loudest thought was, “She doesn’t know the number? That’s dumb.” So, I got tripped up and ended up saying goodbye and walking out without getting her number. I never went back (until today), in part because I was kind of embarrassed about blowing it, and because I’ve not really been ready to date for the past year, because I’ve been living austerely for the past year to get my financial house back in order.

So this morning, I decide to go in, mainly because a bagel was the right-sized thing to get. She’s there. She looks a little different from what I remember, so I don’t react much, but the electricity picked up again, and it didn’t take long for her to start getting a little lost in my eyes, and she nervously handed my change back to me. She asked where I’d been. I said I had been busy with my acting, and since it was clear that she was still feeling it, I said I’d be back. She said, “Don’t take ten months,” which said a lot, I think because she remembered me and she remembered the last time I came in.

On the way out, I knew I should go back in and ask her out, but I didn’t. So, finally, I decided I would go back at lunch and do it. I got up the nerve, drove down there, walked in, and… well, she wasn’t at the counter. There was another girl there I recognized, and I asked her if “my” girl was there. (I didn’t say “my.”) She said, “Which one?” and I was like, “I don’t know, she was here this morning,” because a) I don’t know her name, and b) I couldn’t exactly say she’s short and has big tits. So she goes in the back, and the girl comes walking up to the front. I am locked and loaded, of course, and ready to ask her out, and because I have so little game it just spilled out. She asked, “What happened?” and I stood there with a big grin and said, “Nothing… I just wanted to know if you wanted to hang out some time.”

So this is the point where she says, something like “Oh, thank you… I’m married.” Wha??? I’m really stunned, but I say I’m sorry, and she says thanks again, and I turn around and go back to my car. I’m just like stunned and laughing at my dumb luck, because I don’t really chase after girls very often, and so many times it doesn’t work out (maybe that’s true for everyone, I don’t know.)

Anyway, so I’m totally reevaluating the entire chain of events, because it just seems too dumb to be real. And what bubbles to the surface as a probable explanation is that there are two girls there who look similar, and I asked out the wrong one. You have to understand that I was handicapped by tunnel vision. I had to decide fifteen minutes ahead of time that I was going to ask this girl out, so I got in my car, drove to the place, got out, went in, and walked up to the counter. When the second girl above asked which girl I was looking for, a little voice said there might be a snag here, but I was already marching forward. When who I suspect is the wrong girl came up to the counter and said “What happened?” there was a little voice that wanted to ask, “Wait… did you take my order this morning?” but in a split-second, I decided I couldn’t say that, because it would look stupid if that was, in fact, “my” girl who took my order this morning, and I couldn’t even remember correctly if that was her. So out it came, and I was dead wrong.

O.M.G. Now what?

TL;DR This afternoon, I probably confused two girls at the bagel shop and asked out the wrong girl. (The wrong girl is married, so she said no. The right girl wanted me to ask her out ten months ago and again when I saw here this morning.) Now what?

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26 Answers

kevbo's avatar

Meant to delete a comma: ”... in fact, ‘my’ girl who took my order this morning and I…”

bossob's avatar

LOL great story! I’m sure the married woman was flattered by your offer.

Perhaps she got married in the ten month interval? Or just has a warm, folksy way of going about her job?

It’s quite a coincidence that there’s two waitresses who look nearly identical. Perhaps you just need to become a regular for a while, so you can figure out who’s who or what’s what!

Or, maybe you’re just rusty, and mis-read her signals. Flirting and context go hand-in-hand sometimes.

janbb's avatar

Go back in when the right girl is there and ask her out. Just do it!

DrasticDreamer's avatar

If you’re right and there are two women, I also suggest just going back in and asking the right one. If you hit it off, you can tell her the hilarious story you just told us. ;)

Zaku's avatar

Thanks for sharing the story. It was fun and interesting to read… it’s interesting you don’t know if it was the same person or not!

To me, it feels like a good experience of how much importance and significance we put on asking out people we don’t know, when in fact we are relating to our hopes and fears, as shown by how we might not be able to tell them apart from someone else… or possibly even imagine there must be two of the same person. :-)

stanleybmanly's avatar

There’s a movie plot in this. Follow the bird’s advice. Go back and tell whichever of the 2 shows up “before I embarrass myself let me state that if you’re married, I want to talk to your twin”

Here2_4's avatar

I had to wait until I got past the giggles before I could work on a serious response. No, wait. ..................................................................... ................................... .......................... ......................................... ................
I guess I still had still had some giggling left.
Go there with a friend. Observe her hand to see if there is a wedding band. If there is, just have bagels, and go. If there is no ring, have him get a bit flirty with her. He could ask her if she is married. If she says no, give him a playful shove to the side and clearly say, “Hey, this one is mine. Go get your own girl.”

LuckyGuy's avatar

Go there again. But do it at the same time and day of the week!
Do you wear glasses? You can use that as an excuse for your confusion.

Kardamom's avatar

Uh, you couldn’t tell if it was the same girl? Unless you have vision problems, that sounds a little weird. I can’t imagine mistaking someone I had a crush on, with some random person who had the same color hair and eyes (and in your case, big tits). But that’s just me Lol.

If I was the “right” girl, I’d think you were one of those guys that goes up to lots of girls, ask them out, if they say no, moves on to the next girl in line. Some guys do that. It’s not flattering.

Here2_4's avatar

@Kardamom , it was ten months between visits.
@Fluther am I the only one here with a mental picture of Leonard and Penny?

jca's avatar

The problem I see now is that if you ask the other girl out (the “right” girl), when the two girls talk to each other, which I assume they might (“I have a date Friday night with that red haired guy – you know the tall one?”), the “wrong one” might tell her that you asked her out and the two of them might decide you are a desperate creep. We know you’re not but the two girls might be like oh, this guy Kevbo just goes around asking everyone out until someone says yes.

My advice is similar to @LuckyGuy and @bossob. Go in there regularly and figure out who is who and that way you’ll have a better idea of which one is the one you like and which one is the imposter LOL.

Haleth's avatar

From the “girl behind the counter” perspective, I also think you should go back and become a regular.

Get a bagel a couple more times, whether or not she is there. If you see her, make fun but casual small talk. Start with REALLY entry-level stuff, like the weather or “how’s your day going?” Be nice to everyone on staff, and chat with them too. The key at this point is friendly and casual.

If you run into the right girl a couple more times, gradually deepen the conversation. Talking about your day-to-day life can flow seamlessly into a conversation about the different interests each of you have, if you don’t push it too hard. One of my regular customers is this cute older lesbian with dorky glasses, and that sort of thing is happening. We talked about the weather for aaaaaaages, and very gradually the conversation moved to daily life, then books, movies, and music.

That’s moving at a snail’s pace, but yours doesn’t have to. Once you establish some common ground, it’s so easy to ask someone out! Just pick an event that you’d both be into, and ask if they’d like to go with you. That removes a lot of the pressure of ~asking someone out~, because you’re not asking them on a formal date. You’re just inviting them to an activity you’d both enjoy. Depending on the signals you’re getting from her, you could do this in a more casual way or more romantically. If you’re not sure, you could be like “my friends and I are going to this casual daytime event, would you like to join us?” If you feel pretty confident that she’s into you, you could be like “I was thinking of going to this nighttime thing (concert, gallery opening, whatever), would you like to go with me?”

At some point, you may want to say (in a humorous, self-effacing kinda way?) that you were so nervous that you accidentally asked out the wrong girl. IF you’re on friendly terms, it might be kind of adorable. Friendly as in- she’s enthusiastic about talking with you, maybe she prolongs the conversation, you’re sure you haven’t creeped her out. Awkwardness isn’t a bad thing. In a genuinely good guy, it can be really endearing.

kevbo's avatar

Thanks everyone! I planned on going back this morning before work, but got off to a late start. I will update.

@Haleth, that is the better plan. It started out so quickly that time ten months ago, so yeah, guess maybe it’s hard putting the cat back in the bag(el).

@Zaku, nice insight. I was definitely overcome by nerves. I go with gut connections most of the time, and this one was pretty charged. For both parties, I think.

dappled_leaves's avatar

@kevbo Please come back and let us know how this goes. Like @Kardamom, I find it hard to imagine that asking the wrong employee out (if you even did!) leaves room for success. But everyone else seems so optimistic, so maybe there’s a possibility.

Earthbound_Misfit's avatar

Is there definitely a second girl or you just think there must be? If there is, and they look similar, be honest. Say you remember the conversation from 10 months ago and when you came in this morning, you thought the second person was the person you spoke to then. I think I’d say you only realised your error when you came back in and saw ‘the right girl’. Be honest. Say you feel like a fool and you can understand if she thinks you’re a bit suss, but you hope she remembers the conversation from months before and will give you a chance to make up for your idiocy by taking her out to dinner/see a film… whatever feels right.

Imagine if she is the one and you don’t take the chance to find out? If she blows you off, what did you lose? A bit of self-esteem? You’ll recover. She might say yes. And then we all want invites to the wedding… I might be getting ahead of myself here but you never know!

bossob's avatar

@Earthbound_Misfit LOL

@kevbo
Nothing ventured; nothing gained.
Nothing to lose
He who hesitates is lost.
Failure is when you get knocked down, and refuse to get back up.
Persistence begets success.
The early bird gets the worm.
And why it needs a nap.
Wait…that’s not right.
Oh hell…
JUST DO IT!

:) fun thread!

Earthbound_Misfit's avatar

@bossob, want to sit next to me at the wedding?

bossob's avatar

It’s a date!

Will you dance with me at the reception?

Earthbound_Misfit's avatar

Absolutely! Not a question about it. [I’m a really crappy dancer but I’ll move around the floor with you :-) )

janbb's avatar

Hey – I can dance like Elaine Benis!!

bossob's avatar

1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2 ouch!

So sorry!

Earthbound_Misfit's avatar

Sheesh, @janbb, cut my grass why don’t ya! :-) Now you’ve got two dance partners @bossob.

bossob's avatar

Not when she sees your toe!

Earthbound_Misfit's avatar

Ahhh… ummm…. I’ll wear my hiking boots. They should offer protection. They’ll look dodgy with a dress but something’s got to give.

bossob's avatar

I think that ‘look’ was popular a couple years ago, but it has potential to become a classic; make sure they’re steel toed!

bossob's avatar

Hey @kevbo, if you need an ice breaker, just show her this thread!

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