I Lost My Number, Can I Have Yours?

A few weeks back, this girl told me that I seemed like a flirtatious person. My friend decided to butt into the conversation, exclaiming, “Ha, are you kidding me?! Jacky wouldn’t know what flirting was if it slapped him across the face!”

That’s only half-true.

It’s not that I don’t understand the concept of flirting. For most college guys, it’s about picking up some girl at a random party. Who knows; maybe one hook-up will turn into a fling. Maybe, the fling will turn into a relationship of charming attractions and, just maybe, the relationship will turn into an engagement ring.

But, for now, it’s about picking up the girl.

When you flirt, you have two intentions in mind: Catch the person’s interest, and have it be one of positive curiosity. It can be done with a few small jokes, a couple intriguing questions, and occasionally, the playful stroke on her (or his) arm. At the end, there might even be a wink. Simply put, you’re attempting to make the other person like you, whether it’s for a one-night stand or a long-term courtship. You…uh…you…

Shit, maybe I don’t understand what flirting is.

Nonetheless, I just don’t like it. It’s too much of being pretentious. Flirting usually leads to too many jokes that aren’t funny and too many questions that just don’t garner any constructive answers. Do I really care if a complete, albeit attractive, stranger is enjoying the keg party? Would it really matter if she laughs when I ask her, “Hey, are you free for the rest of your life?” (Warning: using cheesy pick-up lines may cause harm to your reputation.) Probably not.

Plus, I suck at winking.

Hell, this is certainly a skewed idea of what flirting entails. So, enlighten me. What’s your take on wooing someone?


P.S: Special thanks to my friend, Humza, and his many drunken statements, along with Mariana, who refuses to believe that she is my favorite person in the world.