What to say when the chic says she's got a boyfriend?

"The Coffee Shop Girl You Never Spoke To"

You've replayed it a hundred times. She stood three feet away, scrolling her phone. You had an opening. You composed the perfect line — after she was gone.

For all you know, she's married now. To some guy who said something. Anything.

Openers are cheap. Almost any sentence works when it's delivered within three seconds. The expensive part is the standing there, drafting and deleting, while the window quietly closes.

The "22 Rules" stripped out my hesitation. What to open with, how to keep it alive, and the one habit that costs guys more women than anything else: waiting for perfect.

timmylivingalie

Senior Don Juan

May 23, 2012

Atom Smasher said:
Agreed, although I wouldn't write her off immediately. She might utter that phrase because she is unsure of you.

My two comeback sre:

"Cool. Now you can have two!" With perhaps a "this is your lucky day" added on, depending on the woman.

The other is:

"Really? Is he going to marry you?" I like acw's answer, along the same lines. If she is just sh!t testing you'll know whether to pursue of cut bait at this point.

Thats the theory I have she just might be testing and if you have a good comeback you can pass.

"She Laughed All Night. Then She Ghosted You. Here's Why."

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.