[AskApril Masini]

Take a breath. It’s okay. Everyone makes mistakes. Even me!! 😀 I always tell my readers that the mistakes are WAY less important than what you do next, so let’s do some damage control.

But first, I want to reassure you that there’s nothing wrong with liking a guy who’s younger or older than you. And as long as you’re both teens, it’s okay. When a legal adult dates a teenager, it’s not okay — but when two adults date, or two teens date, the age difference doesn’t really matter as much as people seem to think. So don’t worry that this guy is a little younger than you.

Okay, second, take note of how you feel. If you had let him chase you, you’d never be in this pickle, so remember this for next time. Let the guy take charge. You be the flirt, the attractive woman and the one who is alluring enough that he wants to ask you out. And….don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Play the field so that you don’t feel desperate when one guy doesn’t call.

Now, since you did make a mistake, don’t compound it. Don’t call him again. Don’t ask him out again. If he does come to you at some point and say, “Hey, what about that date?” or something like that, you can coyly turn it around, and ask, “Well, what [i]about[/i] that date?” And let him take the lead. If he baits you, and says something like, “You asked me out.” You can say, “My bad! That’s really your job,” and give him a giant smile.

In the meantime, don’t panic. If you throw yourself at him, or try too hard to “fix things” you’re going to look desperate and unattractive, so play it cool. Be your fabulous self, and be intriguing to him, and if he’s interested, he’ll ask you out. But give him a little extra time, since he may have been turned off by your asking him out. Understand he needs to see that you’re not doing that any more. It may take a little time, but hang in there. And let me know how it goes.

Good luck!