I feel like I'm new at this!

[Star Struck]

Let me start out by saying that I have been out of the dating scene for.. well I've never really been in it. I've dated before, but I've always been the girl that they guys become just friends with because we get along so well. I'm 23 and I feel like a teenager when it comes to my dating aptitude. Beware the friend-zone!

 

About a month ago I met Mark at a bonfire party. He was there with some of his friends from out of town. Actually, I was there to see his friend Brian, who I had been interested in from a previous meeting. After awhile it became obvious that Brian and I were not hitting it off. He is the quiet and shy type, and I'm not. Mark noticed and took me under his wing, joking and talking with me. I kind of brushed him off because I was supposed to be hanging out with his friend, but I noticed his efforts. I just didn't realize that I wanted to get to know him until he was already back home... and I was numberless. I called him one night at 4am... on a dare from a mutal guy friend. He woke up and told me that he had fun and would like to hang out again... and wasn't in a hurry to go back to sleep.

 

A few weeks later I found out that Mark would be attending my friend's birthday bash along with a few of the guys who were at the last party. Brian could not come, however. I was excited about seeing Mark. He lives about an hour away and really only would know a few people there... so I realized that this might be my chance to get to know him. I didn't get to the party until late because I had to work. It was around midnight when I walked in. I found out from my very good friend, Leslie that he had been asking about me. She is a mutual friend of ours, but really she is a friend of Brian's and knows Mark through him. She also isn't a huge fan of him because they bicker sometimes...

 

We became inseperable almost at the beginning. I had been drinking and decided to flirt a little more heavily. I touched his hand when we talked, made sure that we got pictures together, and made sure that he was included in everything that we did. I can get a little goofy when I drink, but he seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. A few hours later we were walking outside and he asked me "How can you not have a boyfriend?" I was shocked and asked him to repeat himself. He did and I just looked at him, laughed a little and told him that I didn't know. He seemed to accept that answer. Not long after the inevitable happened and we kissed... not discretely either... people saw and we became the talk of the party. More flirting went on all night. He talked to my friend Leslie while I was hanging out with my other friends about what he wanted in a relationship (someone who wasn't clingy, which is me actually) and told her that he wanted her to like him because he had heard that she didn't. We stayed up all night, played cards, kissed a few more times... and drank and drank... I got pretty smashed. He got me into the spare bed that we had claimed. I had no inhibitions at this point. I told him that nothing was going to happen and he agreed. I then informed him that I was hot and took off a few articles of clothing, but was covered... for the most part. He was respectful and kept his hands off and we cuddled all night. The next day we were the last ones up. We exchanged numbers, but barely spoke. I wasn't feeling well and we had only gotten 3 hours of sleep.

 

I didn't want to be the first one to call, but almost a week later I am out with some girlfriends in another town and I get the urge to call him. He doesn't answer and I'm too afraid to leave a message. I get a bit upset, but let it go. The next day I get a phone call from him. When he calls I am on my way home from my friend's in heavy traffic, lost, and going to be late for work. He notices that I am a bit off and I tell him that I had missed my exit and that I had to be at work in an hour, but talking to someone was helping me not feel so bad. He tells me to call in sick, because I'm never going to make it (teasingly). I tell him that I called him last night and he says that he left his phone in his car, but didn't miss any calls from me. He says that his phone is old and isn't working right anymore. I apologize for my drunken behavior, and he says that it is okay and that he was drunk too. He told me that all of his friends were bugging him because he wouldn't tell them anything that happened between us after they went to bed... which was nothing more that making out. We talked about all of the fun times and stupid things that people did. I tell him that I would really like to hang out again and he says... "Yeah, we should it was a really good time." Then he goes right back to talking about the things that his friends had done that night and about his weekend plans. He joked around with me about being late to work again and then told me to call him later that night because some of his friends were there and they were going to visit another friend who was in another town. I called when I got off of work... no answer... It rings a lot, but then my phone says "Call Failed."

 

Whew... that was a long and maybe pointless story, but I wanted to give as much background on the situation as I could.

 

First question... Why did he just seem to brush over the "We should hang out again" statement? Does he want to hang out, but only as friends? Or does he seem have interest?

 

Second question... My phone said that my call failed, but it rang a lot... does he have a missed call from me? How long should I wait to call him back? He doesn't have internet, so I can't e-mail. I know, that seems odd, but a lot of people who live in the country like we do don't.

 

Like I said before, I'm new at all of this. I'm not a clingy girl and I really don't want to come across as one. However, like many girls who don't yet have the dating skills... I worry.