Ambiguity -- Dating Challenges of Twenty Somethings

So, relationships.. they get complicated once people hit their mid to late twenties.  After the last two guys I dated (who, by the way, were actually both nice guys, but things just didn't work out), I decided to take a break from the whole dating scene for a while just to have some time to myself and figure things out on my own.  Now, shortly after having come to this conclusion, I have met someone new and am completely confused!

Guy #3 is very nice, though I would only be interested in friendship at this point -- the problem is, I can't figure out what he is interested in.  Guy #3, if you ever somehow find my blog and realize that I am talking about you, I sincerely apologize for any misunderstandings that may have occurred, but here's my situation.  When I first met Guy #3, I was Guy #2's date to a party -- Guys 2 & 3 are friends, and we were all talking at the party.  After I had broken up with Guy #2 (we are now good friends), I ran into both of them at another party, and we ended up hanging out.  Since I had resolved that I was done dating for a while, I just assumed that Guy #3 thought I was still dating Guy #2, and did not bother to make any corrections.  My female friend who was also at the party later asked if Guy #3 had been "trying to chat me up" -- I did not think so.  In fact, I was pretty sure that Guy #3 was gay, but had been so out of dating mode that I wasn't even thinking about it while I was talking to him.  The fact is, he is a perfectly nice guy, we had a great conversation, and it never even entered my mind that he would be interested in me, firstly because I was pretty sure he thought I was still dating his friend, but secondly because I thought he was gay.

Now to the present.  He "friended" me on a social network, and sent me a nice note asking me about my weekend plans last week.  He has also invited me to a few upcoming events in town, but he has also invited many others.  So, what is going on here?

Maybe he is just being nice and looking to make a new friend.  He has not done anything overtly flirtatious, or tried to "make a move", but I also feel like most straight men would not go so out of their way to reach out to some girl they hardly know if they weren't a little interested.  Ugh.  And I'm not even interested in dating right now!  Why does this drive me crazy??

I would like to be friends with him, but fear that if this ambiguity does not get cleared up sometime soon, then it could lead to an embarrassing misunderstanding in the future.  What to do??

For dinner tonight: Roasted Salmon Fillet with Cumin and Chili Powder, Mashed Potatoes, Sugar Snap Peas, and Chocolate Brownies.  I love this salmon recipe.  It is easy, very fast, and delicious!

Roasted Salmon with Cumin and Chili Powder

Cumin

Chili Powder

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

Salmon Fillet (For obvious reasons, I use a personal sized piece of fish, but this would probably work fine with a larger piece if you are having guests -- perhaps with a slight adjustment on cooking time)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray.  Put fish in pan.  Brush lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle liberally with cumin and chili powder (fish should be lightly coated).  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roast fish for 8-10 minutes, then turn off heat and let stand in unopened oven for 3-5 minutes.  Eat!