The Dating Game

Ah, the dating game.  It can be exhilarating for the spirit, but also draining on the spirit. I guess I just need to learn how to take things as they are, and not build things up in my mind. I have had a lot of 'firsts' with guys in the past few months....... and the other night, it was my 'first' to hold a guy's hand, have a tender conversation, and give him a kiss...... it was really a great feeling. But of course, it may have not meant as much to the other person as it did for me... even if I felt there was a connection. So the past day or so i have been waiting for that response, that confirmation from him.. whether he likes me too, whether he wants to go out on another date. If he's not interested, i just wish he would tell me instead of just not responding to emails, which, right now, is the only form of communication.  It just does not make any sense to me when 2 people have a good time, acknowledge they did, share in an intimate moment, then.. not be eager to get back together and continue getting to know eachother. may i'm just old fashioned..... but honestly, i'm totally bummed out that he is not writing back.... so instead of taking it personally, i just wrote again and cut to the chase.. saying i liked him, and wanted to go out again, and if he didn't feel the same way, just let me know, and i won't have any hard feelings. because seriously... nothing sucks more than having a major crush on somebody, thinking that things went well on a first date, and then either never hearing from them again, or.. when you do hear from them, the content or the enthusiasm of the communication does not meet your hopes or expectations.... and that, my friends, is the clincher.. the 'hopes and expectations' of dating.. is the hardest part for me... knowing when to put my own boundaries up, when to cut the cord, when to move in more, when to move away.......... it is the dating game.... and my new strategy is to be up front and honest from the beginning, so i can cut the cord and move on... more for self-preservation than for anything else....