I’ve been broken up with my ltr of 5 years for a year now

I fucked probably close to 10 girls in that time but all are from tinder/dating apps

I go out with 2 of my close friends, one is in an ltr and kills the vibe when I talk to girls..the other was better but he’s moving now so I’m really on my own

Would it be better to go out alone?

Also I’m just starting to approach so I see myself running into problems...for example last night I saw this girl by herself I approach...she says I have a boyfriend right away I say “sorry to hear that” as if it sucked for her...she laughed but then I started talking about her and I just ran out of things to say...how long should I keep it going before I close and how can I stop running out of things to say?