I’m a grown, fully autonomous, adult human man, and I am crushing hard on someone. It’s comical and feels very grade school—like, “Will you go with me? Circle one: Yes or No.”

I always move with confidence, fully aware of my own level of attractiveness, and I recognize that what I attract often mirrors that self-awareness. There’s a delicate duality between self-perception and the energy we draw toward us.

Except, this woman is very hard to read. And by “read,” I mean the ability to determine if someone’s energy is drawn toward us.

I am (normally) very good at reading people the moment I meet them, and without needing a conversation, I can sense their mood, intentions, or inner state. It’s an instinctual connection, where I pick up on subtle cues—body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, even the way they carry themselves. This isn’t about analyzing or interpreting; it’s about feeling. I might sense warmth, tension, excitement, or unease, and it’s all happening subconsciously. It’s as if my body, not my mind, is doing the listening, responding to the untold story of the person in front of me.

There’s another delicate duality at play here: between the energy to go all in and the surrender to give up…

About to give up on the flutter in my chest, insisting patience still has value.

 “Her body language speaks poetry I could never write.”