I am a 31-year-old who is very inexperienced and my social life is non-existent. I came to live in the United States five years ago and I had to start all over again. I was a student back home but I had not completed the course of study I was taking at a college because everything was a hardship there. I had a chance to leave my birth country, so I took it without hesitation.

Growing up I kept to myself. I love to read — especially romance novels — and I know the difference between reality and fiction. Living in the US has given me an opportunity to change my life, at least on a professional level. I work a simple job during the day and I am back in college pursuing a program in health. At my day job there is a man who is a regular customer. He has been given me these inviting looks for quite some time now and I am deeply attracted to him. I can feel the tension between us, and even other people notice the attraction. He had never asked me out, so I said to myself, “Maybe he thinks I have a boyfriend.” So I called him to give him my phone number. We spoke on the phone as if we were old friends and for a few weeks we kept texting each other. He recently bought a condo, and he wanted to take me there, so I agreed to go.

Two days before the meeting, I texted him to inquire about the sleeping arrangements, and he pretended not to understand the question, so I made myself clear and I told him that I was not ready for intimacy on the first night and I needed to know him better before we moved ahead. He apologized and told me that we should forget the whole thing altogether. We do not text anymore. I see him most everyday at work and instinctively I know he is still interested in me. My head tells me to forget about him but, I am still attracted to him.

Am I a fool to hope that something good will come out of this dilemma?

– Rebbeca23, Hyde Park