Why Didn't He Call?

Dear Lucia,

I know I made a stupid mistake but what shall I do? I totally screwed up. I went out twice with a guy and we French kissed. He's busy always traveling and he didn't call. When I called him a week later, I said stupid stuff like "Even the president has time to call... " so he told me "I'm not a relationship kind of guy". He also said his ex-girlfriend sometimes goes to his place to water the plants when he's away. I want to see him again, without any strings attached - how do I do it? Signed: Waiting

Dear Waiting,

I'm glad you realized you made a mistake. I'm of course referring to calling him and then on top of that making that president comment. Anyone that is a regular reader to this column will remember my "10 Things You Should Never Say to a Guy" list. One of the 10 is: Why didn't you call? Now you see why asking that question never works. The answer is always: Because he didn't want to. What you're really asking is: Why didn't you want to call? It's too soon to be wondering that. All you've done is lock lips. Don't fall into that silly female habit of trying to move things along, because it rarely works. When you prematurely try to take one step forward, the guy will instead take one step back.

This is what he did when he told you he wasn't a relationship kind of guy. What he means is: He doesn't want to have a relationship with YOU! If he wasn't a "relationship guy" how does he explain having an ex-girlfriend? He's trying to put the brakes on because at the moment he hardly knows you, and he certainly doesn't need some girl calling him up to find out why he didn't call.

Finally, you say you want to see him again with no strings attached. I say you want to see him again and pretend there are no strings attached. You and I both know you want more. But okay, I'll play along. Since he felt forced to make that "no relationship" statement, you've now painted yourself into a corner. What to do? Well, I would say wait for a month and see if he calls you again. If he does, don't mention getting together. If he asks you out, don't say yes right away. Tell him you'll need to get back to him. This is your way of taking one step back. (Incase you hadn't noticed, dating is a lot like "Simon Says"). When you do go out, you need to casually slip into the conversation that you're just looking for a casual relationship (not necessarily with him, but in general). See how he reacts to that and go from there.

If, however, you don't hear from him in a month, call and leave a message saying hello. If he's interested, he'll call back at some point, though it may not be right away. If he answers, do the same thing, keep the conversation light and get off the phone in 5 minutes. Don't ask him to get together. He needs to ask you out if he's interested, otherwise, you'll be taking one step forward again, while he's still two steps back. Understand?

Now, go forth and do not ever again commit the sin of asking: Why didn't you call?

Lucia is a dating and relationship expert, columnist, lecturer and host of the TV Show "The Art of Love".

With over 20 years experience on the relationship market, Lucia has dated men of all nationalities in six cities, four countries and two continents. Her practical know-how makes her the perfect candidate to dispense relationship advice... after all, in almost every dating dilemma she has been there, done that and lived to tell about it.

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