Dating Tip #3: When You Fast Forward, I Will Pause.

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I'm not going to pretend like I wasn't a little taken back when, in the middle of an innocent slew of flirty text messages pertaining to potential weekend plans, it was suggested that we forego the drinks and just skip right to an at-home movie night {insert wink-face here}. As far as women go, I consider myself to be one of the forward ones, and even this text was a bit too much for me to handle. Far be it for me to condemn a guy for sending me the "winkie" (as my friends and I refer to the flirty emoticon in jest), but this one happened to come from somebody I hardly know. Hello? Do I not deserve a glass of Pinot Grigio before you start winkie-ing me? Come on, bro.

Guys, here's the thing. When you're interested in taking a girl out to get to know her, keep your forward flirtation to a minimum, because unless you really know her, you don't know which way she'll respond to your suggestive cues. Had it been one of my guy friends playing cute, or someone I at least knew a bit better, the text message emoticons would not have fazed me in the least (even if used in the most inappropriate and suggestive of ways). Pause for a minute, and think about what you're insinuating before you send it. Your forward-track signals may send you, blindsided, out the door: No drinks, no movie-date, and obviously, no winkie-ing.