Ding ding ding. The whole point of flirting is that it's a gradual (potentially) escalation path with a built in escape route / plausible deniability (for havin

Ding ding ding. The whole point of flirting is that it's a gradual (potentially) escalation path with a built in escape route / plausible deniability (for having a romantic interest in someone). It's like tossing across a thin fishing line and then the other person attaching a length of cord to while you pull it back and then attach a rope to, and so on. At any point any party can back down or back out without feeling hugely awkward or embarrassed, and to proceed it requires the cooperative participation of both people. It's quite an elegant system, in fact, it's a shame to many people are baffled by it.