Free Manslations by Jeff Mac Page A

Him: Failure to do this will almost certainly result in not going out on a date with him. He can't come to your house and find you. And if he can, he probably works for the NSA or the CIA, and he's been tapping your phone or something. Which, hey, whatever turns you on.
Talk to Him: Again, you're likely going to have to do this at some point. I realize how terrifying this can be when you don't know somebody very well. But there's not too much to be done about it. I'm sorry.
Be Fun: I know, now I'm just being prejudiced against the boring and intolerable. I get that. But nonetheless, you're far more likely to get him to ask you out if he is of the opinion that talking to you is enjoyable and being on a date with you will be even more enjoyable. It's just the way it goes.
Make Him Feel Welcome: You'd be surprised how many times a woman will not behave as if she even wants him around. He may like to think of himself as a bad-assed ninja or Jedi who would never, never be too intimidated to ask a woman out and all, but if he feels like you're happy he's there, it might ease his mind about asking you out. You know, a little.
    Don't
     
Play Hard to Get: I'm not saying that you have to flop over backward for every guy. But there's been a lot of misinformation out there about how men love to chase women (which is true), and so women should become more “challenging” (which is… probably not true). The only problem with this is that there's a fine line between “playing hard to get” and “making him feel like a jerk for trying.” Again, be nice, be fun, and make him feel like you're happy he's there.
Drop “Hints”: By this, all I mean is that you shouldn't assume that men have the slightest idea how to read your secret code. A woman wrote to me once complaining that her intended beau wasn't picking up on her hints. Know what the “hints” were? She mentioned one time that she wanted to see a certain movie, and then she pretty much ignored him. For six months. I'm not kidding. I defy Sherlock Holmes to find that clue. *
As frustrating as it may be, you should never underestimate a man's total ineptitude at picking up on hints.
     
Try to Be Somebody Else: See, here's the downside of putting on an act to get someone to ask you out.
Firstly, you're not Meryl Streep. He's not fooled. So all he gets from this is that you're behaving strangely. Secondly, if you somehow DO manage to fool him, uh, what's going to happen later when you're not BS-ing him anymore?
     

You Asking Him Out—A Brave, New-ish World
    Let's say that you like a guy and you want to ask him out. Pretty crazy, huh? Huh? Next thing, you're going to be picketing in Washington and signing petitions for the right to smoke on the Sabbath.
     
    I'll put it another way. You're fine asking him out. You're well within your rights as a human and an American. Or as a Canadian. In Europe you need a writ. And in all other lands, please check your local ordinances.
     
    Do (There's only one “do.” It's a pretty simple operation.)
     
Actually Ask Him Out: And by that I mean that you should ask him to go somewhere—and not as a pal or a coworker or a fellow marmot enthusiast or whatever. Ask him out on a date. Scary? Yes. But the alternative is far scarier: you'll actually be out on the date, and you'll have no idea if he knows that it's a date. I just peed a little at the thought. Please be clear, as if you're speaking to a small child who needs everything laid out very clearly.
    Don't
     
Worry That This Makes You Look Desperate: It does not. This is the number one fear that women have about asking a man out. How do I know that? I hear this one all the time: “I don't want to look desperate.” You know what makes you look desperate? When you want to ask a man out, but instead you spend all your time trying to drop wilder and wilder hints that he should ask you out. Relax.
Pretend You're Not Nervous: Why do that? So he thinks that he's in no way special and that you