Today I spent about 50 euros on gas just to get rejected. I know it sounds foolish, but here’s the context.
Back in December, before I moved away from my city, there was a cashier at a supermarket I used to go to regularly. Every time I was there, we had strong eye contact, smiled at each other, and there was a noticeable connection. This is in Germany, where smiling and eye contact with strangers isn’t necessarily standard, so it felt meaningful.
On my last evening in that city, I went to that supermarket with an acquaintance. I deliberately chose a different checkout because I didn’t want my crush to think my companion was my partner. On the way out, my crush saw me, smiled, and nodded at me. That moment stuck with me, and I felt genuinely interested.
Fast forward two months. Today I drove roughly 500 km round trip with the hope of seeing her again and finally asking her out. I got lucky — she was working the checkout. When it was my turn, I asked if she had time next week. She said no because she was traveling, paused briefly, and then added that she was going with her boyfriend.
I replied politely, wished her a nice evening, and left. I accepted the rejection and didn’t make it awkward.
Now I’m left feeling frustrated and confused. Normally, I’m fairly good at distinguishing friendliness from flirting, and when I interpret something as flirting, it usually aligns with the outcome. This time it didn’t — at all. If I’d had even a hint of doubt, I wouldn’t have made such a long trip.
There’s also the two-month gap to consider. After moving away, I went back to that store a few times but never saw her again. Maybe interest faded because we didn’t see each other for so long.
What do you think? Did I completely misread the signals, or could this just come down to timing and circumstances?