Attraction runs on a clock.
She flirted for weeks. Touched your arm. Found reasons to be alone with you. And you were careful. Respectful. Waiting for the right moment.
The moment had a shelf life. It expired around month two, and by the time you asked her out, she'd quietly filed you under "little brother."
One of the hardest lessons inside the 22 Rules: women rarely wait. Interest either grows or it decays, and nothing decays it faster than a man who never moves.
Make the move while she's still inventing reasons to be near you.
Dinner ran three hours. She laughed at everything. You walked her to her car thinking this one's locked in.
Then: nothing. Two texts. No reply. What happened?
You did what most men do on a great date. You filled every silence, answered every question, and left her with nothing to wonder about. No mystery. Nothing to sit with when she got home.
Rule 3 of the "22 Rules" changes the ending: tell her a little, hold back the rest, and let her imagination do the chasing. The ghosting stops too.
A light beer or a glass of wine or smoking some pot with friends to get high for une on some occasion is a different thing and to heck, I might do that once in a while, too. But I think you know who I was referring to in my comment up there. It is the regular users, not the casual ones, that I have a problem with.I've also never done drugs. I've drank and smoked in the past, and still occasionally enjoy a light beer, so I'm not being judgmental - just curious how others react to smokers.
I agree that it's a way of detaching, and it's obviously used to relieve stress. I personally just hit the gym when I feel like this.
You asked her if she wanted to grab coffee. Then you asked if the time worked. Then you asked if the place was okay. Then you asked if she'd prefer tea.
Four questions. Four chances for her to say no. Four signals that you're terrified of making a decision.
Plan it. Pick the place. Pick the time. Tell her where to meet you. She'll either show up or she won't.
Either way, you look like a man instead of a scared little boy.
Of course there plenty of non-smokers that are **** people and there are smokers who are great people, too. I said it in general, my average girl, when she smokes...it comes with another bagagge full of other problems. Smoking at an early age is a sign that this person has a lot of stress in their life, so much so they need to use nicotine (cigarettes are practically soft drugs) to kill it. Would you be eager to date a drug user? Would you be eager to date someone that is hooked up on some stress medication or regular painkillers or sth? I wouldn't really.I've never went out with a woman that does this to excess (eg, 20 a day).
Find the judgement above to be a bit strange. Been out with smokers who were great women, and ones that were not so great. Same with non-smokers.
The cigarettes had very little bearing on it.
She calls you when her car breaks down. When she needs help moving. When some guy she's actually dating treats her badly.
You're the listener. The reliable one. The guy who would treat her so much better, if she'd just open her eyes.
She won't. You trained her to see you as the low-effort option — the friend who requires zero risk and zero investment. Every favor dug the hole deeper.
The "22 Rules" break the pattern. You'll stop auditioning for a role she already cast and become the man she chases instead. It starts with Rule 1.