If two people just catch eye contact the guy always looks away so quickly, to a girl that's a sign he's not initially interested so why bother, if you maintain eye contact that's already a step, note girls will look away and lookback to see if ur still looking. 5 seconds is the max, it like a game I look you look we both look at then smile:D.

This happens to me all the time in cafes or busses even the shops they look interested but if they don't maintain eye contact then I won't approach you, you won't approach me we move on, just take the hint. but it's not always romantically interest I had girls come up to me too just because I looked and smiled at them. so even if you won't approach them it just makes people's day to just feel seen.

(don't try to show you are interested by acting like you are not interested, it's the weirded thing to me, its this sense of superiority "like I'm too good to acknowledge back cus I'm cool, but please notice me and feed my ego :)" iv noticed this in body language.

only made this post since iv saw so many ppl taking about approaching women in public.