oops-- maybe? almost? perhaps.

I should preface this by saying that in theory I am all for the girl making the first move.  I think, again in theory, that gender equality implies that it really doesn't matter who does what when and that game playing is stupid.  Nevertheless, in practice, I am not nearly as bold as my hypotheticals.  Which means that the following, had it been for myself, would have NEVER happened.

So a few months ago I met this guy while I was on holiday and felt like he was just PERFECT...for one of my best friends. I kept trying to figure out how to orchestrate this transcontinental meeting.  It never happened.

So you can imagine my surprise today when I walk into a crowded room and see him, in my country, and more importantly, in my friend's country.  I beeline towards him and give him the warmest greeting ever, thinking he will remember me just as well as I remembered him.  He doesn't.  I very very very uncharacteristically just pull up a chair and sit with him, barely waiting for an invitation, and start quizzing him (mind you, he's sitting with another girl.  I decide based on their body language that they are just friends).  "When did you get here?" " How much longer are you here for?" " Who are you staying with?"  All the while scheming and plotting...how do I get him to meet my friend...how how how...

As it happens I know a bunch of things about him, not because I'd ever researched him but because he has collaborated with my NGO in his home country and I had read reports and remembered his name since I was trying to set him up with my friend way back when.  So of course being that I'm not interested in him, my usual attempts at subtlety are out the window, and I basically keep bringing things up that I know about him and his eyes keep opening wider and wider.  To top it all off I am studying his face very intently to determine if I think he's my friend's type.  I'm pretty sure I was staring.  It takes me about 2 minutes to realize he thinks I'm interested in him (duh!) so my brilliant plan to salvage the situation is to blurt out, OHMIGOD IM NOT STALKING YOU!!

He laughs and at that point I realize he hasn't made that mental leap-- yet.  BUT THEN...oh then...

He tells me he used to serve here, and thinking about who he's staying with right now-- an old friend who served here when he was here back then--I knew there would have only been two options for where he would have worked since that person only worked in two offices and is not one to branch out.  So I figured they would only have been friends if they worked together.  So another person at the table asks him the first option.  Did you work in X department?  "No," he answers.  So then I say "Oh, Y then," at the exact same time that he says "Y".  His eyes SHOOT wide open and a look of total PANIC shoots across his face.  He immediately clams up.  Now he really does think I'm stalking him.   My amazing response to this?  After,  mind you, giggling uncontrollably for 3 minutes.  "No, no, I'm really not stalking you! I'm just really smart!"  (So much for humility, huh?!?!) More laughter on my end when I realize the conceited words that have just escaped my lips.  "I just mean that I put it together because I figured you and so-and-so worked together and I knew he worked in Y..."more laughter from me (which I'm sure he is interpreting as nervous OMG-this-guy-gives-me-goosebumps! laughter rather than the wow-im-an-idiot-and-ps-everything-makes-me-laugh laughter it actually was).

Anyway I was about 2 seconds away from asking him out to dinner so I could invite my friend but I realized if I did that there was NO WAY he wouldn't think I was the interested party.  So instead I say "Bye!" and "I really hope I see you again," or something to that effect.  I waltz out of the room all happy and giddy thinking of how perfect they are for one another.

The machinations continue.