The Best Game: Sincerity

One of my best friends is a guy. A very attractive, educated, fun guy who has all kinds of trouble in the relationship department. We often get into debates about the best way to handle relationships with the opposite sex. Through these conversations, I learned that my friend routinely waits about 2 days to contact a woman after he's gotten her phone number. Oh my gosh guys, do not do this!!!

The 48 hour rule expired when our generation stop using land line phones. These days, everyone has a smart phone, and let's be honest, we all spend entirely too much time staring at those screens. So guys, if I'm out grabbing cocktails with The Ladies and you want to get my digits, do this:

1.Ask me for my number. Put in your phone immediately. Bonus points if you call or text me right away to make sure you have the correct number and to give me yours in return. If you actually intend to contact me, it's reassuring to know that you have the right number to do so.

(Note: Whenever a guy asks me for my number, I always say, "My name's Casey in case you forgot", because, well, I forget names like it's my job.)

2. Once you leave the establishment where we met, text me later that night. If we part ways at 10 p.m., do NOT text me at 1:30 a.m. to see if I want to come over. I don't. Shoot me a message at 11 that says "I really enjoyed meeting you tonight. Let me know when you're free to get together." If we happen to both be leaving a bar as it's closing down, send this text about half an hour after we leave.

3. If you feel odd texting a woman the same night you meet her (or you end up in a situation where you meet multiple women in one night), a good morning message the following morning is the next best thing. The point here is to reinforce to the woman that you're excited to have met her, are thinking about her, and want to see her again sometime soon.

Another commonly played game is for people to part ways from a date without knowing when/if they'll see each other again. Guys, if you genuinely like a girl and know you want to see her again, grab your cajones and set your next date while you're still on your current one. If she hesitates about scheduling, she's probably not that into you, and it's better to find that out sooner rather than later. If she does make a plan for next time, you both get to leave the date feeling reassured that the interest is mutual. Guys, let me tell you a secret: A man who has already scheduled another date with me is a lot more likely to get some alone time after this one.

Most people in the dating scene try to come off as nonchalant or not desperate to members of the opposite sex. This often leads to ambiguous situations where neither party is sure if the other person likes them. Guys -and girls- I beg you to stop with the games. They're killing modern romance. If you like someone, tell them. Make it obvious. If they like you back, you're golden; if they don't, you've wasted as little time on them as possible. For all of you who are so concerned about having "game", try this one: Sincerity.