I am a 28 year old guy and I have never been on a date and have always been turned down because girls just want to be friends so I am trying to not fall for friends anymore.

In my recent push to put myself out there more and meet more people (a struggle in itself lol), I have now started to wonder; "What makes you guys decide to ask a girl out"? I mean theres the obvious shared values and interests, but those girls have always just been friends. What separates friends from girls who you date?

What do you look for? How do you decide if someone should be pursued in more than a friendship fashion? Say I actually do meet a girl who is single, how should I decide if I should ask her on a date? I dont want to ask every girl on a date because that would be creepy, but I also dont want to have any chances slip through my fingers if you know what I mean.