1. There are multiple cultures, even within predominantly white middle class culture. Each has individual rules. I grew up under one set (observing my parents a

1. There are multiple cultures, even within predominantly white middle class culture. Each has individual rules. I grew up under one set (observing my parents and their friends, a set of working class individuals) , reached adolescence under another (Evangelical Pentecostal culture), and left that to a third, professional educated rules. (Now, ignore for the moment that I'm gay, which has an entirely set of other groups and expectations.) For Evangelicals, it is acceptable to be friends before dating. In current secular trends in the college educated population, women (generally - there are exceptions) expect a man to be up-front with romantic intentions, unless (as above) there are circumstances preventing that intention. There are boundaries to asking someone out if such changes happen. For example, sometimes it is acceptable-ish to ask someone out when they're exiting (or in) a relationship, and there are times when it's a cause for rejection. Most times, it's cause for rejection, unless it isn't. Can you distill the rules into an easy golden rule pattern? I know I can't.