Hey guys I'll keep this one short but I feel like writing it down is important. Warning: newbie shit

Last night I was at a bar, doing okay, talking to come people, there with my friend so introductions weren't quite so awkward. I strike up a conversation with a very attractive girl who was standing somewhat on the periphery of our circle. She introduced herself, we talk. It's kind of difficult for her to hear so she grabs my arm and pulls herself over to my side of the circle so that we can hear each other better. At this point I'm thinking "oh shit I'm set." Haven't had a girl do something like that before.

So we're talking and I'm enjoying her company, and I realize I need to get her number. Long story short: I don't. I fucking don't, and I'm still kicking myself about it. What happened? Three things: 1) she threw me when, during the conversation, she pulled out her driver's license to show me how her name was spelled (it's a strange spelling of a common name) and while she does so she very deliberately covers up her last name with her finger. That was enough to throw me, basically bring back all my self-doubt and psych myself out about if she wants to talk to me or not. I didn't recover from that and, 2) Next thing I know this other guy has entered our conversation and all her attention is on him. It's like I vanished, Now the insecurity is really on the rise, especially since he's hitting on her and doing it a lot more obviously than I. I awkwardly interject a few times but he's got command of the conversation and it's not like she's trying to draw me back in. Either way, she seems somewhat... awkward? nonplussed? uncomfortable? not sure, about the manner of his flirting. He's basically telling her that she reminds him of "a girl he knew," and she's not really taking the bait. I'm waiting like a dumbass for my chance to intervene, when 3) Her friend (who's been wanting to leave for a while) interjects, grabs her hand, and they're gone. Just like that. I make eye contact with her as she's leaving the bar but I can't really make anything form that.

And that's the whole story basically. I had a shot, waited too long to get the number, and blew it. Alternately, I never had a shot and she was just waiting for the proper moment to leave. Alternately I may have had a shot before other dude interjected and I failed to properly handle it. Whatever, didn't the number, lost the girl.

It didn't help that the friend I was coming there with (who doesn't really know I'm trying to get better at flirting) kept awkwardly interjecting himself into our conversation as well, when it was really not necessary. I think he was uncomfortable with having no one to talk to.

Side note: Abundance is causing me to plateau. I've gotten to the point where I can hold a conversation, but I freeze and fail to take it any further. Because I can just talk to another girl, it's too easy to tell myself that I'm just working on approaches that night without pushing myself to do anything more.