We're getting sushi. Making good conversation is no problem for me but I'm still not so great at the whole going in for the kiss thing and when. Any tips in the next 18 hours would be *much* appreciated. I'm more shy than extroverted and would not consider myself to be an "alpha". So keep that in mind. I'm new to this shiz but I hear being natural is important.

Thx!

Read her body language and then go for it. Even if a girl rejects you that doesn't mean she does not want to be kissed at some point. Do not make kissing a big deal, because is a good way to fuck things up.

Don't wait till the end of the date and don't do it when she has raw fish in her mouth...Do kiss her during the date, don't wait till the end, it will always be awkward and pressurised in the final moment of saying good bye. PLUS she'll be thinking about it the whole time so if you do it during the date you'll both relax for the rest of it ...BUT don't force it either.

So you should just enjoy the date as normal, touch her quite a bit, i.e. BUILD KINO, start small, little slaps if she says something funny, then touch her face if you lean in if she tells you something or touch her leg for just a second if you're leaning for something or telling a story or anything. Tell her she has cute little hands and put yours up to her to compare, or do some of that trust test bullshit, I personally like the palm reading routine, I just make up funny stuff like how they'll get super rich from the lottery but lose it all gambling etc.

Once you get used to touching her it'll all be fine, believe me, you'll know when the moment is.

There is nothing worse than not touching her at all during the date and then go in for kiss at the end when you're saying good bye.

Hope this helps and good luck!

~Winchester

You can start the date with a hug, and kiss on the cheek or forehead. Once you have kissed her in the beginning, there is far less anxiety for either you or the girl when subsequent kisses occur.

Guys - thanks for the tips. The date went pretty well but had some room for improvement. We got along very well and conversation flowed smoothly. I made her laugh a lot. We were at dinner for ~2 hours and then she invited me back to hang by the pool at her place (kind of a loung-y environment with couches and stuff). We were there for another 2 hours. The date started off without much touching but for the last half of it we were close, had my arm around her, she touched/hit me many times, etc. But... I went for a kiss and she wouldn't take it. I tried again when the date ended and again no. She said "no kissing on the first date". What do you think of this? She did say she is very traditional and likes taking things slow, but I feel like I could have done better with this. There was never really a moment where I felt it was "right" for a kiss however. We also got into talking about our dating/sex history at one point and she mentioned that if we date I need to get tested (she always requires it I guess)...

I feel like the signs are good but would love some insight on what I should be taking away from all this

Nothing you should know really...you seem to be doing it right.
Just a movie at her/your apartment really soon and things will go fine.
She didn't zone you, she knows you guys are going to escalate slowly, so just give it some time, don't rush things.

Good luck

So we went on a second date tonight and I think its going in the right direction. Had my arm around her waist the entire time which she seemed to like. We kissed *but* only briefly at the end and for like 2 seconds.

It went well but I felt that the conversation didn't have enough emotion/flirting... there was more on the first date, and I feel like this time it was more logical and platonic than it should have been. There were also a couple points where it came a little too close to drying up. Any tips on how to keep "spice" and emotion in the interaction? Good topics / routines for this? So far work, school, roommates, friends, life, and a lot in between have all come up.

Part of the problem was I only had 2 hours of sleep and wasn't thinking at my sharpest. Should I bring this up when I text her tomorrow? I was just going to joke about getting more sleep next time so I'm less of a zombie... or something along those lines haha

Get alone with her during your next date. Don't even go out.