[continued from the above post]

As I've never dated I can't be certain, but it seems to me that we're doing everything a dating couple would do except for having physical (and intimate) contact with one another.

However, I just moved into my very first place last week and after I make the place more habitable, I'll be able to invite him over for movies/board games/video games and hope that having him on "my turf" will be what I need to make a move. While furniture shopping, I actually thought about buying a small couch just so we could be closer when sitting on it together, but that would have been a little creepy.

I guess ultimately I want him to make the first move. I think it's partially so that I won't be responsible or at fault if it doesn't work out. That's horrible. I also fear that I'm being too hopeful and misinterpreting him. What if he just wants to be friends and I scare him? He's never mentioned past girlfriends before; maybe he has never dated. But I have to doubt that. He has several years on me and it just isn't likely.

In any case, I'll update when I grow a spine and tackle him in the middle of a game of Smess. I truly appreciate every post of advice and every relation of an example or experience that was meant to help me. No post has gone unread and I've considered each one as I've visited and revisited this thread over the last month. Thanks to everyone who has made an effort to help. You have! And I am grateful.

We're volunteering at the animal shelter together tomorrow night after taking a walk and possibly grabbing a bite to eat. If I can think of any reason to touch him, I'll take it and gauge his reaction. Wish me luck!