A few days ago, I approached a woman, and we had a date the very next day. The date was okay, although I felt like something was missing – I can’t exactly say what. We flirted, I qualified her, and there was also physical contact, which she initiated a couple of times as well. At the end of the date, we hugged closely (not a friendly hug, but more of a man-to-woman hug), and I kissed her on the cheek, and then she kissed me on there too.

After the date, she didn’t reach out, so I texted her the next morning. After exchanging a few messages, she stopped responding. The next day, I followed up, and she sent me a longer message saying that due to our age difference (I’m 22, and she’s 47), nothing could come of it between us.

On the date, I thought she didn’t have an issue with my age, so that surprised me. I don’t think she was 110% interested in me, but more had a “let’s see how it goes” attitude. Or it might have just been an excuse.

What bothers me the most, though, is that during the whole texting process, I was constantly afraid that she wouldn’t respond or would cancel the date. This fear of “flakes” often follows me when I meet new women, which leads to a kind of “obsession” with the woman.

Do you know that feeling? How do you deal with such fears?