"Complimented me in elementary school, but I only got it 20 years later" – 10 flirty stories that clicked way too late

I was doing student work when a girl told me she had a cool sword and asked if I wanted to see it. I said yes, so she asked for my number. That evening, she sent me a bunch of photos posing with the sword… in lingerie. Every photo showed her in lace bra and panties, and I just replied, "Nice sword."

On a class trip, I was the only one sleeping alone in a separate tent. Just as I was about to fall asleep, a girl crawled in and asked if she could share the tent because "it’s much colder in theirs." I shrugged, said sure, then turned over and slept. It only hit me the next day when all the guys asked if anything happened between us and laughed when I said no, she just came because her tent was colder.

In elementary school, a boy explained during aftercare that everyone liked Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella because they were blonde with blue eyes, but he liked Snow White because she had brown eyes and short black hair. I nodded, not understanding why he was telling me this. Twenty years later, I realized he was hinting he liked me since I have short black hair and brown eyes. I told him at our reunion, and we’ve been together ever since.

On a high school ski trip, a girl said she wanted to watch the sunset with me. That should have been a clear sign, but I was a clueless teen. Then she asked if I wanted gum (I did), and gave it to me by putting it in her mouth first—I had to take it from her lips. As I leaned in, she dropped the gum—obviously trying to get a kiss—but I quickly picked it up from the snow and said, "Oops, you dropped it." We watched the sunset in silence and then shivered back to the lodge.

A handsome coworker asked what I do after work. I said I’d probably grab coffee with some colleagues. He looked deep into my eyes and said he was thinking about coffee too. I replied, "Want me to recommend some great spots nearby?"

I have a peanut allergy, and everyone around me knows it. After a party, a friend gave me a ride home. I’d bought him a peanut chocolate when I ran into a convenience store for water. He thanked me and said he’d eat it tomorrow. I told him to eat it now, but he kept saying he’d wait. We chatted for a while in the car outside my house, then I said goodbye and went in. Months later, I realized he didn’t eat the chocolate because he wanted to kiss me.

During drama club rehearsals, a very pretty girl asked if I wanted to stay after practice to rehearse the stage kiss. I, being clueless, just said, "But our scene doesn’t have a kiss," and went home.

I popped into a diner for lunch, and the waiter came over several times to chat and even sat down next to me. When I went to pay, he told me to leave it— I was his guest. Only the next day did I realize he liked me.

A guy I sang with in choir shyly told me he wrote a song and asked if I wanted to hear it. I said yes, happily. The song was beautiful, and at the end, he said it was called "Laura." I congratulated him again, and two weeks later it hit me—my name is Laura.

A gorgeous classmate asked if I could give her a ride to the game. I said I wasn’t going to the game—I’d be hanging out with friends—but I could drop her off. The next day I picked her up, drove her there, and when she got out, she asked if we should grab a bite. I said thanks, but I’d just eaten and said goodbye. My friends made me realize how clueless I was—I really thought she just needed a ride and was hungry.