I (25M) met this girl (21F) at work and started talking to her on Instagram. I usually initiated conversations by replying to her stories. She always responded kindly, but it would take her over 12 hours, sometimes even a full day, to reply.
Eventually, I asked her out and she said yes. On the day of the date, she told me her mom would drop her off and pick her up from the place we went to. I didn’t see a problem with that. The date itself went really well, we had good conversation, and she seemed genuinely interested in my life, just like I was in hers. She’s very shy at work, but during the date she was warm and talkative.
However, after that day, nothing really changed. She still takes a long time to reply, and I’m always the one initiating conversations. I asked her out again, but she said she couldn’t because she had another commitment. At that point, I assumed that was basically a rejection.
About a month later, I decided to try again, and now we’re going out next week.
But I’m starting to feel like she might see me more as a friend than as a romantic interest. I’m confused and wondering: is it actually possible to “win someone over” with persistence, or should attraction be more natural and mutual from the start?
Has anyone been in a situation where they had to keep trying before things finally worked out?
TL;DR: Went on a good date with a shy coworker, but she replies slowly and rarely initiates. She declined once, but we’re going out again next week. Unsure if persistence can build attraction or if she just sees me as a friend.