You paid for dinner. You drove. You said "whatever you want is fine" every single time. All the effort, no expectations.
And she left anyway — probably for a guy who makes her pick up the pizza.
Painful. Also predictable. Her mind quietly concludes that anything requiring zero effort from her is worth exactly zero. You became a free sample, and free samples get taken for granted.
The 22 Rules flip the dynamic. Small shifts that get her investing effort, money, and time in you — until SHE'S the one afraid of losing YOU.
That sentence contains at least five follow-up questions she WANTS you to ask. Where in Florida? What brought you here? How long have you been in the area? What do you miss? How does it compare to here?
She handed them to you on a silver platter. And you said, "Oh cool. I come here every week. I love this band. Ummm... pretty crowded tonight."
She smiled politely. Nodded. And never texted you back.
I was that guy for years. Talking too much. Listening too little. Panicking about my next sentence while she was literally feeding me the answers.
Then I found 22 rules that fixed the whole thing. Rule number one: shut up and listen. She'll tell you exactly what to say.
I actually think they're more afraid of reality, women are fantasy, if you play it right.
Interesting! I had this same conversation with a female friend. We're both here in Seattle area. And she said the same thing as your friend. This conversation started because I said a lot of men in Seattle are very wussy. I've been in settings where the men just seem like caged animals who look at me with some skeptical and bitter look if I am near them and their women acquaintences are near.
I agree with Who Dares Win. In every distinct geographic setting, men (as well as women) have a certain "collective experience", if you will. This experience can be personal, second-hand (i.e. experience passed on by other men) or a combination of both. If it is the "collective experience" of men in Seattle (a very liberal town) that approaching women is not a good idea (either because women are generally not receptive or because there is a high risk of being accused of sexual harassment), then they will be less likely to approach.
Next Monday you'll feel more confident. After the gym you'll feel more confident. After one more drink you'll feel more confident. After you get a better haircut, a better jacket, a better job.
You've been "getting ready" for two years.
She's standing ten feet away right now. She'll be gone in four minutes. No amount of preparation will manufacture the courage that only comes from moving your feet.
Walk over. Stumble through the first sentence. Let it be clumsy. Let it be imperfect. You will feel more alive in those ten seconds than you have all month.