Women are complicated creatures. Some are very
forthright and comfortable delivering a staggering blow to a man's confidence,
with a prompt and succinct "no, thank you" when asked out on a date.
Others not so much. Either they kick the can down the road, hoping the lad will
eventually get the hint, or they decline without saying the actual word
"no." The bottom line is: Not only does no mean no... sometimes a
whole lot of other answers to "You wanna grab a drink sometime?" mean
no, too. Like these responses she may give you...
1. "Work is crazy right now." Maybe work is crazy. In fact, I'm sure that it is. But I
bet it wouldn't be too crazy to squeeze in a cup of coffee with Ryan Gosling.
The woman who appears interested enough to "try" to find some time,
yet laments just how slammed she is these days is saying no, dude.
2. "I'll think about it." Even if she does eventually come around, there's a banner start to a
relationship, and a killer story for the kids one day: "Mom told me she'd
think about it the first time I asked her out." But she probably
won't come around anyway.
3. "Text me." This one is
tricky. I mean, if there's a real connection—if it's so hot the owner of the
bar throws on the A/C—chances are strong you're gonna lock down when you take
her out right then and there, if not take her home right then and there. But
the "text me" actually affords this woman the opportunity for what
many refer to as the "long, slow goodbye." Which is exactly what it
sounds like.
4. "Sure, give me your number." She ain't gonna call. OK, so maybe she is; heck, maybe this is even her
way to make sure the date does happen, that she's in control
and she's not waiting around on your lazy ass. But that's a longshot.
Maria Fontoura at Match.com advises women to, "say something like 'tell
you what, why don’t you give me your number and I’ll call you.'
They’ll feel like they accomplished something and leave you alone, and you’ll
buy yourself some time to get away from them." Like you've got
cooties!
5. "I'm dying." Not a good
sign. Seriously... What are the chances she really contracted this disease
she's talking about that you've never heard of, from her stint volunteering
overseas? It's a no, bro. Or you're in the middle of a Nicholas Sparks novel,
which, admittedly, will have its fair share of great moments.
6. "I'm moving." Yeah, that's
another no. In this Skype day and age, two people who are genuinely interested
in each other — albeit at a bar one drunken night — will want to see if there's
something more there. And when exactly is this move? Is the U-Haul parked out
in front of the bar? Is she surrounded by colleagues throwing her a send-off
party? There's time.
7. "I don't live around here." Um... OK? When "My train takes an hour and 15 minutes to get
here" is the thought process as to why this can't happen, oof. It might
not even be a lie. It could also even be a test, as in, "Just how
interested in me are you?" You know what it definitely isn't? A yes.
8. "Here's 'my number.'" The *fake
number. Do I really need to expound? We've all been there; we've all gotten
one. It's actually fairly kind of the lass. But in this modern world, where she
might just get texted on the spot, and her spot is promptly blown up, it's
quickly going out of style.
9. "I'm just getting out of a relationship" Um... So the timing is perfect, no? This statement has always perplexed
men. "Rebound" is not a word that makes us cringe; moreover, we think
of basketball. So the long and short of it is that she is saying no, plain and
simple.
10. "I'll see you here again this time next week." Maybe she will, maybe she won't. But for now, it's a no. It will probably
stay one, too, with you hanging around that place every week at that exact same
time, for months, like a dog waiting for its owner to return.
