Feeling uncomfortable opening on a crowded train, especially in front of my regular commuters I let an opportunity with a HB8.5 pass. For 15mins she was stood in front of me with her body was angled towards me. So despite her frequent glances I maintained a constant AFC stare in every direction except hers.

Later in the afternoon our paths literally crossed on the street. Wanting to make right my earlier wrong I caught up with her (she was on the phone initially) and approached from the side.

I was thinking on my feet so all that came out was:
ME: "Hey, werent we on the same train earlier. Do you remember?"
HB: "Yeah, you were on the blah blah"
ME: "Imagine that, twice in one day. How random"
HB "We work in the same area"
ME: "I'm on [road name I work on]. So which station did you get on at?"
HB: [station name]
ME: I live in [station before hers]. How long have you been living blah blah?
HB: 10 years
ME: 10 years? I moved there about 7 months ago from blah blah. I have a great flat there but there arent many bars or restaurants close by. I tend to go to [her location] for that.

Then we small talked about this really nice Thai restaurant. Got her smiling a few times as we walk down the street together. I couldn’t get her to stop and as we approached star bucks she said:

HB: Well this is me, I'm meeting a friend for coffee.
ME: Hold on a sec. [Not having anything to say I fell into my routine opener]. I need a female opinion on something, I was just talking to a friend about this earlier and its on my mind - would you date a guy who was still friends with his ex?
HB: No not really.
ME: Well the reason I ask is blah blah
HB: I wouldnt do that, she sounds scary.
ME: So you just prefer not to date the guy at all?
HB: blah blah. I gotta go I'm running late, my friends waiting for me.
ME: Ok lets continue this another time..
HB: Yeah I'll see you on the train.

We both laugh at this before I walk off. A number close would have been random because I didnt build enough comfort. She showed attention on the train but didnt reciprocate any of that during our lunchtime encounter. Let me hear your thoughts guys, its so much harder on the street.

I would have rather opened with something c&f like:

ME: Hey, where do remember me from? [smile]

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Trying to evolve