When my boyfriend Jake and I started dating, I decided that this time, I wasn\u2019t going to play any games.<\/p>\n
I thought: He\u2019s different, I\u2019m different, and this relationship is different.<\/p>\n
Well guess what? Nothing is different. Men are men and no matter what they say, they need a little bit of hard to get.<\/p>\n
I felt this unbelievable connection with Jake. He bought me flowers and even took me out for sushi after we had sex for the first time.<\/p>\n
“He looked at me the same way you look at pizza when you first open the delivery box.”<\/p>\n
I remember thinking: See, Raz! You don\u2019t need to play any games. You\u2019re being the real you! It\u2019s been an entire month and everything is totally fine.<\/p>\n
So I called him whenever I wanted to call. And I texted him first, even double texting sometimes! I waited for him before I made any of my own plans because why would I ever be busy if he\u2019s my first priority? I didn\u2019t even think twice. I was doing exactly what I was feeling, what my heart was telling me. No games, right?<\/p>\n
WRONG.<\/p>\n
You guess it. Jake took a step back. Now, I\u2019ll admit that it wasn\u2019t this huge sudden step back – he wasn\u2019t about to break up with me or anything – but if I didn\u2019t do something about it \u2013 right now \u2013 I could tell that this relationship would be heading in the wrong direction. I could also tell that Jake just wasn\u2019t as excited about me as he used to be. The usual goodnight phone call would come much later at night, and the texts wouldn\u2019t come at all. This one horrible time, Jake got back from a business trip in Germany and made plans to go out with his guy friends the day he got back, instead of with me. Rude.
\nObviously, I freaked out. How could it be that when I fell hard, he took a step back #taylorswift? I played and replayed our dates, our mornings, our \u201cstudy\u201d sessions (we studied political science together but could definitely have been anatomy majors\u2026) and still couldn\u2019t figure out why he just wasn\u2019t that into me anymore.
\nThat\u2019s when I decided to do something I had never really done before. I had nothing to lose. Instead of taking a step forward when he took a step back, I decided that if he was going to take one step back, I was going to take two.<\/p>\n
I was ready for this, big time.
\nTip #1: DO NOT CALL HIM. EVER.<\/p>\n
First, I stopped calling him. For the first few days, he didn\u2019t really seem to notice. But then, all of a sudden, he started calling me more. Much more. He subconsciously realized that he didn\u2019t have me in the palm of his hands. If he didn\u2019t hold on tight, I would slip away like sand.<\/p>\n
Tip #2: TALK ABOUT HIM.<\/p>\n
Second, instead of constantly talking about myself on our dates (sorry I\u2019m a typical egocentric 24-year-old being) I started making sure we talked about him. His dreams, his feelings, his past experiences traveling to Cambodia, whatever. As long as we were talking about him, I was happy. Why, you ask? Because everybody loves to talk about themselves. No, really, it\u2019s a known thing. According to TIME Magazine, science says people get endorphins and physically feel good whenever they talk about themselves. So make sure you\u2019re talking about him on a date. That way, when he gets home and takes off his shoes, he thinks to himself: Wow, I had a great time with her tonight. Of course you did, silly. You talked about yourself the whole time.<\/p>\n
Tip #3: REACH OUT, LITERALLY.<\/p>\n
Lastly, REACH OUT, literally. Every once in a while, touch his thigh, laugh at his jokes and lightly rest your hand on his arm, whatever you need to do to show him that you are a sensual woman, not just a friend. Men are, well, men. We can\u2019t help it, and they can\u2019t help it and that\u2019s fine. Touch is the perfect way to use that to your advantage.
\nI know, dating is hard. It\u2019s like even if you think you know exactly what you\u2019re doing, you probably don\u2019t. But now, you will.
\nSo, there they are – the three simple dating tips to absolutely live by. Only if, of course, you\u2019re smart girl and you know it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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