Interested&Cautious or Interested in Friends?

Intro, I'm mid 30's and she's 30

Living in the Midwest, both well educated, never been married and no children


Met someone 5-6 weeks ago, actually was introduced to her in a group setting in a group activity


I'm normally pretty reserved, but this gal and I just clicked and everyone else was pretty much shut-out of our conversation that evening. Exchanged info that night, heard back from her the next day and than not much for almost a couple weeks.

In the meantime I've found out she's extremely busy, works 60-70 hours a week and is taking two classes and has had some family obligations on most weekends.

So jump ahead, we've scene each other a few more times in the same setting with the same results. Not a date by any means, but really a pretty laid back way to get to know one another. The third such time at the end of the night she gives me a hug in front of a handful of other people and just waves good night to them, including the person that introduced us.

She asked me to get together this past Monday (Labor Day) and than the weather was bad and I didn't hear from her until later in the day, when she was apologetic but didn't say much more. We did make plans to see one another the next day as I mentioned I'd help her with something for her job.

We ended up doing that and than went out to dinner, first real time we've been alone together. During that evening and previous conversations she's mentioned doing this together and that and even 1/2 mentioned going on a weekend trip together later this winter. She's also mentioned doing things together come next summer.

All good positive signs, even being clueless half the time I can even tell she likes me and enjoys my company. Other people have noticed as well.


So all this is going very well, than during dinner the other night talking about a relationship of a friend of hers she mentions this guy who's been texting her several times a day, putting notes on her car, etc. She finally had to tell him she wasn't interested and that she was focusing on her career right now. (She's new to the area)

I've been trying to figure out if I'm just a little more than a casual friend or after hearing that if all she's really interested in is just being friends?

She also asked me what I was doing this weekend as her sister is going to be in town and I interrupted her before she finished her sentence to say I was not going to be around, but I got the impression she wanted me to meet her sister. Over analyze that situation as well as it could be interpreted as "hey this is so and so, the guy I recently met" or "hey, here's my newest best-est friend"

In all the women I've met/dated in the last 18 years I can honestly say I've never met anyone that shares more common interests with me than she does. There's never a lull in the conversation, the other night was six hours straight and it felt like just moments. We just really click in so many ways.


What's all this rambling about? I'm extremely cautious to go in for that first kiss as if she's not interested I have a feeling she'd pull away and if nothing else I could see myself just being good friends with her but don't want to create an awkward moment either. I've never asked permission to kiss someone, but I'm thinking that this might be a situation where it obviously would be a little weird asking to kiss her, but avoid a more awkward situation by not asking and being rejected.


My take on it, she is interested but is afraid to get involved with anyone since she's just starting a new job and she works so much and so hard at it. I think all her other classes and what not are just a diversion because while she's told me she likes her "Me" time, she also likes having someone around and I get the feeling it's been several years since she's let anyone in.

She's told me when she falls for someone, she falls pretty bad so I think that makes her cautious as well?



Thanks for reading through all this