It can definitely feel the loneliest when you're somewhere that's pleasant.

I'm sorry that you feel so lonely. I can promise you though, that no matter what you were feeling/seeing - you were not the only person there alone, and you were not the only person who felt lonely. And keep in mind - not everyone who was alone was lonely, and not everyone who was lonely was alone.

It's never actually to late - unless you give up. That's the one thing that is 100% sure - when you give up and don't try, you will always keep what you don't like. And then it turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy...... and hello, viscious cycle.

Honestly, you sort of seem like you're stuck in that cycle right now. You don't have to stay there, although it is reallllly hard to drag yourself out of them.

But you know how you said above that you've noticed your social skills improving? Run with that! Use it, keep trying! Why not join some sort of social group that you'd enjoy? You'll get to meet people and interact with them - and it will be a routine, so you'll be able to form some genuine friendships through it - because the people are there for social reasons! You could also try volunteering, as that's another way to interact socially with the other people who are volunteering.

Doing something like that also gives you the "excuse" to start up conversations, so you don't have to worry about bothering someone. Which can help a lot with anxiety, and it also makes it harder for you to get mixed messages.