Existing boyfriend == Bad

[decaffeinated]

Come one, come all. Gather round, and listen to my wretched tale of woe.

OK, so there's a girl in one of my college classes. She's adorable, smart as a whip, and a thrill to talk to. She's also a recovering alcoholic, and ADHD, but nobody's perfect. I asked her out to lunch once, and that's how I found out she already has a boyfriend.

Being of the problem solving sort, I am fairly undaunted by this development, and have resolved to pursue her anyway. I've seen her current boyfriend, and the competition isn't very tough.

Nevertheless, I am faced with an unfortunate dilemma:

O <-- What I know about computers.
. <-- What I know about love.

And that's where you come in. Opinions, advice, admonishments? I've read a good chunk of the previous discussion here, and I don't think this particular situation has ever cropped up. If I'm wrong, please direct me to the appropriate thread.

My general strategy is thus:

1. Begin developing a casual friendship. She appears to like talking to me, and she expressed an interest in learning more about computers. (me = ). It would give her an opportunity to get to know me, and vice versa. If nothing else ever comes of it, I'll have a friend, which is worth it anyway.

2. If I decide to continue, the next phase would be carefully probing her romantic side - giving her little compliments and the occasional gift, dropping little hints, etc. The important thing here is to dress it in the context of an innocent friendship. Male/female friendships where either part is already committed to someone else are sticky to begin with. If she gets the idea that I'm just trying to get between her and her boyfriend, it's game over.

3. After that, it becomes a waiting game. The board will be set with a stable friendship that's dangerously close to the edge of something more. Basically, the rest is all up to her. I've resolved to content myself with trying to win her affection, and I'm not going to make any attempt to weaken her existing relationship. That means no bad-mouthing her boyfriend, no hiring private investigators to... um...

So, what do you think? Have I got a prayer? If you've any final suggestions, now would be the ideal time to share them.

Thanks for reading!

[bluestrattos]

your strategy it's very good. Follow it and Good Luck