Alright, so this is... sort of unusual.

About a month ago, I went to lunch and the bartender/waitress was crying, talking to my female coworkers (who I guess go there frequently), basically she walked in on her dude cheating on her. I stayed out of it mostly, just offered generic words of support, and got us all a shot.

Next day, I decide to swing back by. She was in much better spirits, broke up with the guy, and gave me a free drink for "being so sweet". I wind up staying and chatting with her (with some breaks as she attended other folks) for a couple of hours (also, she wound up giving me a ton of free drinks, we shared quite a few shots). Was honestly a good time.

Next week, I dropped by, and as I was leaving, offhandedly asked the hostess if the Bartender was working this week. Turned out, she'd gotten fired. The hostess asked for my number and said she'd let her know. I thought, "Well, that's kinda creepy, but guess there's nothing to lose".

About two weeks later, she texts out of the blue. Aaaand this is where it gets sort of weird.

We texted a bit, and I asked about meeting up. She said she would love to, but when I offered a day and time, she couldn't make it. No follow-up. A few days, maybe a week later, I text how she's doing, she said she found a job. She was embarrassed about it, just kind of a Dave & Buster's thing, but told her hey, a job is a job. She asked about maybe I could come by to see her sometime, I said sure.

Then, I asked her out again, saying I was going to a town nearby that has a ton of bars, I was meeting some friends. She that that would be "lovely", and said she would be working, but asked if we were going to be out late, if it would be okay if she showed up late? I said no worries.

Well, she didn't show up.

It's weird, because I feel like her actions are so out-of-line with her texts. She genuinely seemed really excited about getting together, yet she's kind of flaked twice.

I'm personally of the mind that this probably isn't going to go anywhere. (worth noting; my male coworker thinks she may just still be dealing with the previous break-up, plus losing her job, so she may just be overwhelmed right now)

But, I'm wondering if, since there's really nothing to lose, if maybe next week, I should just send a text, just something to the effect of:

"This is a little forward, but you seem really interesting and I'd like to get to know you a little more. Could I take take you out on a proper date?"

What do you guys think? Too strong? Does it come off "needy" or "beta"? Or just leave it be?