Kerri, 25, from canada asks:

I met this guy on a online dating site and we went out on a date. At the end of the date he said he had a good time and shook my hand. Then he paused and said stay in touch. What does that mean, that he doesn't like me? I have him on my MSN messenger so I saw he was on so I logged in. I waited for him to start a conversation but he never did, so I started one with him. We chatted for a bit, then I had to go so I logged off. So is he into me or he is just being nice by chatting with me?

Victor's answer:

The hand shake is most likely more a reflection of his social skills than his opinion about you. As far as not messaging you when you came online, be aware that not everyone has MSN setup to inform them when new people log on. That is, if you weren't there when he came on, he may not be aware that you came online. There's other reasons why a guy might not message you right away: he may think it comes across as 'stalkish' or he may want to give you time to read emails and conduct whatever business you do online first; and of course, maybe he's not interested.

Make nothing of the handshake by itself. Lots of guys don't really know what to do on a first date. Kiss on the cheek? Kiss on the lips? Just say goodnight and walk away? It's a very awkward moment and sometimes people just have a knee-jerk reaction that they regret later.

On the other hand, most guys would NOT tell you if they're not interested. The "stay in touch" means nothing. It's something guys always say.

Bottom line is, at this point, don't assume he likes you, don't assume he doesn't. Just go forward until you get a more clear sign one way or the other.


Tags: advice, dating, relationship, question, answer, boyfriend, girlfriend