I am dating two middle eastern girls and I've noticed that they are very conservative. The first one I went on an instant date with and when I went in for the kiss she looked away. I did it in a playful way though, saying she had "luscious lips" and leaning in ever so slowly. When we got up I casually brushed her hand and she joked that since we just met there would be no hand holding. In fact when I went in for the hug she pulled back, saying we had only known each other for an hour. The second girl was similar, when I went in for the kiss she said no while smiling, when I went to hold her hand she allowed for it but didn't squeeze back, and when I went for the hug she went for it too but that was that.

Even though I didn't accomplish a kiss, a hand hold, or a real hug in either situation, I am glad I went for them. They liked the effort I was putting in and they loved being pursued. Had I not gone for these things both of us would have been living in regret and I may have even been friendzoned. I could tell by their playful attitude that even though they didn't allow me to escalate, they liked that I tried. They really did want a guy that would pursue them.

Lesson learned: go for the kiss, go for the hand hold, and go for the hug. Do it to make a statement about your intentions, who you are, and what you are about. Regardless if it works out or not, you are successful because of the fact that you tried and the woman will appreciate that.