Young woman at the gas station

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I had a kind of reverse situation, but not altogether different. I used to work in a customer service job (for a couple years) where I saw many of the same customers daily (I was in my mid to late 20s at this point). There was a lady who came in as a regular, and I thought she might've been flirting with me (it seemed likely to me). After what I think was months of this, I finally got up the guts to ask her out. She said she was interested, so I was excited. It was pretty awkward, though. First I gave her my number and she said she'd call, but never did. Then she kind of stopped coming in for a while. Then she started coming back again, and I suggested maybe it'd work if she gave me her number and I called her. In the end I found I was kind of being pushy with her, like having to keep following up, but she was sending mixed signals so I was confused. First it was that she was too busy with final exams, then she was going on a trip, etc., but she would say she did want to go out sometime, but kept putting it off.

It seemed like she was saying yes on the one hand, but her actions were saying otherwise. We did end up talking on the phone pretty briefly, and texting a little bit, but she kept dropping the ball when it came time to set up a date. Then she ended up kind of moving out of state on short notice. I don't think I should've done anything differently, because I really wanted to seize the opportunity if there was the chance of there being anything there...although it ended badly because I lectured her a little through text at the end for leading me on (which I felt was fair, she kept saying she'd call and wanting to set up a date and then wouldn't). So, my experience is these things can go badly, but you should always give it a shot just to see...

FWIW I only really dated three girls (and married the third one), here's how we met each time:

1) she had a mutual friend pass on the message she was interested in me...and then she kind of did the pursuing from then on; I wasn't interested for a little while but the feelings developed...relationship lasted 2 years and ended with some drama, but no lasting hard feelings.

2) she approached me and my friend at a busstop asking "for directions" but later told me she was just looking for an excuse to talk to me...I did most of the pursuing after that by tracking her down on FB and initiating dates etc, we were going to the same college...relationship lasted 5 years and ended with a lot of drama and heartbreak.

3) she messaged me first on a dating site and I responded...we gradually made contact and there was give and take on both parts in starting the relationship...I ended up moving in with her very early on because my living situation fell through and she offered...and it ended up working out.

All other potential times, it seemed like I asked someone out and they didn't follow through/dropped the ball...in a few cases I was the one to not follow through, due to indecisiveness or distractions...for whatever reason things just didn't work out or go anywhere with anyone, never went past flirting and hugging; the only three women I kissed, I ended up in LTRs with (not counting one anomalous situation, where one of my friend's girlfriend's in college came onto me randomly at a party when I was passed out, I kissed her back a little bit out of reflex and then talked to her about how it wasn't right given I was friends with her boyfriend, who I guess she had been going on and off with..., it turns out she was on ecstasy at the time and had done the same thing with other people that night...that was a weird one but didn't go anywhere).