Hey Doc,

I am a new student who wishes he had your book 15 or 20 years ago as it’s really opened my eyes to the key to successful dating and it would have prevented me from making the same old mistakes again and again. I am now 35 and I hope it’s not too late to change the way I go about things because up until now my dating experiences have not exactly been what you would call successful.

Now here’s my problem. I was getting close to Sabrina, who I work with. Then she asked for some space while she sorted things out at home with her boyfriend, who she lived with. I took this to mean that her Interest Level in me dropped and that she was saying this to prevent my feelings being hurt. I backed off and was polite to her when I saw her at work and made small talk when necessary, but I tried not to let my very high Interest Level show.

Last week Sabrina moved out and has now gone home to stay with her mother. I’ve avoided her at work, as I don’t want to be in her face while she is going through what must be a very stressful time. Is this the right thing to do? The last thing I want is to put any sort of pressure on Sabrina or make her feel awkward in any way. I must stress that she didn’t move out because of our relationship, because there isn’t one. She moved out because she was unhappy, simple as that.

I guess what I’d like to know, Doc, is how you would have played things and what should I do in the days and weeks ahead? Should I just forget about Sabrina even though I really like her or should I keep giving her the space she wanted and then ask for a date in the future? If so, how long should I wait before I ask her?

One last thing. I bought Sabrina a book she’s interested in. Should I give it to her? If so, when? I just wanted to do something nice for her to cheer her up a bit.

Many thanks, Doc, for all your time and help.

Tyson - who hopes he hasn’t already screwed it up

Read Doc Love’s advice to Tyson