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.
You made your case like a lawyer. Stable job. Good guy. Ready for something real. All true. All irrelevant.
She weighed your points, nodded along, felt nothing — then fell hard for some tattooed bartender with a motorcycle and a gambling problem.
Logic is where attraction goes to die. The "22 Rules" work a level deeper, on the subconscious switches that decide within minutes whether you register as a MAN or as part of the furniture.
Stop presenting evidence. Start flipping switches.
tick37 said:You're now going beyond AFC and into the world of stalker. Stop calling. You should have given her space and time to decide on her own. Now you're pushing her and being selfish. You didn't even give her a chance. You started chasing, and she started to run. They always run when you chase.
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.
crap i think i mighta said i'd call her before i leave.. even tho i said make it at 8 like 3-4 times.tick37 said:Well, hopefully you've got definite plans. If so, don't confirm with her tomorrow unless you already told her you would. If she doesn't show up, don't call her. Don't ask if she's coming. Just wait 15 minutes. If she shows up 30 minutes later, it's her loss. She'll have to make a valiant effort to make it up to you. Now, if she shows up, be yourself and don't go overboard trying to make her like you. Just be you and know that you are giving her a great opportunity to be with a great guy.
Were you not suppose to meet up with her today? Did you? To me that is flaking. Now your making excuses for her. If by the grace of god she does show up tomorrow and you hit it off, in a month's time, your going to be telling how she is the one, then in 8 months, your going to be asking us how to get her back.pete101 said:unless of course she cancels on me last min.. how come this girl isn't following by the rules and things you guys have been saying in regards to flaking etc?
pete101 said:guys i dont understand what the hell is going on..
i call her now with no caller id so she doesn't know who it is (i dont think shes smart enough to realise these things yet..)
i completely make no mention of todays indiscretions and just acted c+f, i made some joke on the phone immediately and had her laughing then she says to me 'i've never met anyone like you before who's so ****y..'
i didn't know how to respond so i said 'well im not ****y and arrogant, im ****y and funny.'
i guess it raises my level a bit that she thinks im self assured.. i just need to prove it. but anyway she's meeting me tomorrow.
unless of course she cancels on me last min.. how come this girl isn't following by the rules and things you guys have been saying in regards to flaking etc?
obviously i'll be embarassed if she ends up flaking.. she sounds like a girl of high interest on the phone.. but she wont take my calls unless she doesn't know it's me.. crazy.
ummmm that was mean...LOLMacAvoy said:Were you not suppose to meet up with her today? Did you? To me that is flaking. Now your making excuses for her. If by the grace of god she does show up tomorrow and you hit it off, in a month's time, your going to be telling how she is the one, then in 8 months, your going to be asking us how to get her back.
Your buddy Dave has been single for three years and thinks "hey u up" is a valid strategy. Your other buddy Mike just got dumped and told you to "just be yourself."
You showed them her text. You asked them to decode the emoji. You drafted four responses and sent the screenshot to the group chat for a vote.
She's been waiting forty minutes.
Put the phone down. Stop crowdsourcing your love life. Type something that sounds like you. Hit send. Then go do literally anything else with your evening.
Don't send a message, don't call, you'll just give her an opportunity to flake. Just show up and be prepared to do something else instead.pete101 said:crap i think i mighta said i'd call her before i leave.. even tho i said make it at 8 like 3-4 times.
i guess i'll have to send a msg then cos otherwise she wont think it's on if i said i'd call her beforehand.
pete101 said:crap i think i mighta said i'd call her before i leave.. even tho i said make it at 8 like 3-4 times.
i guess i'll have to send a msg then cos otherwise she wont think it's on if i said i'd call her beforehand.
I know, its called tough love. He's been here 2 years and should know his stuff by now but he's making rookie mistakes.DonGorgon said:ummmm that was mean...LOL
This is where I bail. My mean predication has already come true.pete101 said:see i know what you're saying.. i guess it's cos i got oneitis already.. that im not strong enough to cancel on her.. i've never met her before
When a woman says it, guys hear a confession. A heads-up. A scheduling conflict.
Here's the translation: I don't feel anything. Right now. With you.
Watch what happens when a man triggers actual attraction. The busy career, the recent breakup, the "not in a place to date" — all of it evaporates instantly. The same woman who was guarding her freedom is suddenly free every night.
The "22 Rules" explain why. When the right switches flip, her timeline rearranges itself around you.
You're not strong enough to cancel because you don't believe in yourself. She's a flakey hor, and you've given yourself up. Did she do anything for you to reward her with your attention. No, not a damn thing. Since she knows you'll always be there, she'll do as she damn well pleases.pete101 said:see i know what you're saying.. i guess it's cos i got oneitis already.. that im not strong enough to cancel on her.. i've never met her before this is why im inclined not to cancel on her or do these things till after we've first met.
with a HB like her guys falling over themselves i guess it's a necessity to do the things you say..
assuming things go well tomorrow i should split after 1 hour even if she suggests going somewhere else after?
it'll take her by surprise i guess.. but i probably need to end on a high but seem disinterested at the end.
pete101 said:see i know what you're saying.. i guess it's cos i got oneitis already.. that im not strong enough to cancel on her.. i've never met her before this is why im inclined not to cancel on her or do these things till after we've first met.
with a HB like her guys falling over themselves i guess it's a necessity to do the things you say..
assuming things go well tomorrow i should split after 1 hour even if she suggests going somewhere else after?
it'll take her by surprise i guess.. but i probably need to end on a high but seem disinterested at the end.
You can't get credit enough to overcome blunders with someone you haven't met yet. They have to have grown to really like you somewhat in real life first in order to turn a blind eye to small mistakes. Rather, at this stage, women take it all in, unknown to you, and observe it all and form their opinion. They don't necessarily tell you what that opinion is, pete.maybe she really likes me enough to forgo some of these stupid things im doing..
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.