Flirting - friendly or interested ?

Hi everyone,

I need to go back to basics about something. A lady I'm friends with at work has started paying attention to me lately and I'm not sure what"s going on.

I've been burned before when I thought someone was interested in me because they were flirting, but it turned out they weren't and I ended up feeling foolish, hurt and just bad for a long time. Needless to say, I don't want to make that mistake again !!!

So, does anybody have any ideas on how to tell when women are flirting to be friendly or if they are actually interested? Your replies will help me a whole lot.

Thanks, Notme

Notme,thats a tough one..Everyone is individual.Some women are just ore open and flirty as a natural part of their personality,some women are just attention seeking,some women just play games,then there are the women who are truly honestly interested.I am a female..When I am interested in a man,I really AM interested.By that,I mean I want to know more about him,from HIM,not through asking others,or idle work gossip.I will try to hang more where he is at..ask him about interests..music..movies..likes and dislikes to see if we have anything in common..Ask about if he has pets..likes animals like I do......Start with small talk..where she goes out and stuff..become a friend first..frienship is more important then anything..get to know her as a person..That way you can get an idea if she is seriously interested or not...Believe me,us girls go through the same thing..Sometimes we dont know if guys really like us,or if they just are acting interested to score,then chalk it up as another piece for them,then dump us humiliated and hurt.Become friends first and foremost.She might have had bad experiences too,and may be alittle hesitant.. (:

Thanks for your reply, Starbright.

Yeah, It's a tough one for sure !!
I think you're right when you say that everyone is an individual, but do you think that there are
some universal signs when someone is genuinely interested? I'm not the best at interpreting subtle gestures from women and I wish there were no games involved. I guess what I'm saying is that I
wish that people could just come out and say how they feel.

I've also found that if I wait too long to figure things out, the other person can lose interest and move on. I feel so inept when it comes to relating to women. Lots of times it just gets awkward - like I'm trying to force a conversation just to spend a little more time with someone. I think others can pick up on that and it probably turns them off to some extent.

I appreciate your insight and I will try to follow some of your suggestions.
If you or anyone else here has any further thoughts I'd really appreciate hearing
what you have to say.