Whether it’s the girl who sits across from you in psych or the girl standing across the room at the party, chances are, at one point or another, she has left you at a complete loss for words when you see her. It happens. Wipe the drool from your mouth and turn your inner flirt on, because now’s the time to make your move. Here are a few things you can do to help break the ice so that you can say goodbye to being a single lady!
1. Make her laugh
Your opening line: “If I see this kid cough one more time without covering his mouth, I swear I’m breaking out the Clorox wipes.”
When it comes to making a joke about your surroundings, the world is your standup routine. It could be the way your professor’s strange habits affect your ability to concentrate or something specific about the room you’re in.
“When I flirt with a girl, I make eye contact with her a few times across the room to let her know I notice her,” says Whitney, a senior at Arizona State University. “Then, I say something relevant to the environment to make her laugh. For instance, the lesbian bar I frequent is usually a hit or miss music-wise. If it’s a miss, my job is much easier.”
Once you get a girl laughing, you’ve definitely caught her attention. This is the perfect way to really start getting to know her and continue the conversation.
2. Compliment her on something you genuinely like about her
Your opening line: “Hey, I don’t mean to be creepy, but I noticed that you always have the best outfits! That floral dress, wide-brim fedora and combat boots look was so on point. You always look so well put together.”
This is your prime opportunity to make your crush feel special. What is it in particular that attracts you to her? Is it the way her eyes light up when she has something important to say? Is it the cute outfits that she puts together so seamlessly? Whatever it is, make sure it’s something significant to her. It’ll let her know that you’ve really been paying attention to her and tip her off to the fact that you’ve kept her on your radar for a while. The beauty is always in the details! Use this opportunity to make a great impression on her and ask her for advice on how to do whatever she’s doing so flawlessly.
3. Ask for her homework help
Your opening line: “I don’t understand anything that’s supposed to be on the midterm. We should totally study together!”
Not only is this a total ego boost, but it’s also the perfect way to spend more time with her. If you’ve noticed she’s got a particular talent for something you’re totally clueless about, make sure you take her up on the opportunity to learn a couple of things.
“Whenever there’s a girl in my class that I have my eye on, I always ask her if she wants to work on the midterm with me,” says Kayla*, senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Late-night hours at the library often lead to some type of procrastination, so I always use that time to get my flirt on and get to know her better.”
Just make sure that you aren’t using this as an opportunity to play dumb. It’s a lot more genuine if it’s something you actually could use a hand with and you’re not just making up a random excuse to be around her. However, if this study method works out well, make sure you make a date with her after acing that exam to celebrate your success!
4. Ask her opinion on something
Your opening line: “I was just reading an article about studying abroad in a non-English speaking country. I heard you talking in class about your trip to Ecuador last summer—can I get your thoughts on a few things?”
Who doesn’t love to feel smart, are we right? This can definitely lead to a seriously deep conversation, which will only make her want to talk to you and get to know you even better.
After you both have this conversation, find out if there are any events going on at your school concerning that topic. If there are, invite her to hang out with you, and maybe even get dinner before or after!
This subtle way of asking her out is a great way to keep it casual, since you still might be trying to get to know each other. Bonus points if you can relate it to something you know that she’s passionate about!
5. Perform a “random” act of kindness
Your opening line: “This storm totally came out of nowhere! Good thing I brought my umbrella today. Can I walk you to your next class?”
A random act of kindness can be as elaborate as offering her some space to walk under your umbrella (ella, ella, eh) during an impromptu rain shower or as simple as letting her borrow a pen in class. These little efforts let her know that you have her best interests in mind, even if you don’t know her all that well.  She’ll see how sweet you are and make more of an effort to get to know you.
Make sure you get her number the second or third time around, with the excuse that she can always count on you if she needs a quick favor. Now that you have her number, let the hours upon hours of texting commence!
You can’t always wait for the “perfect time” to talk to your crush, because you never know when that moment will come! Give yourself the necessary pep talk and get your flirt on.
*Name has been changed.