Think I'd better begin at the beginning...

A couple of weeks ago, the orchestra I'm in started rehearsals for our tour to Ireland. On the Monday evening before we left, most of us went out for a meal, and I spent quite a lot of the night talking to one of the trombone players. I'd seen him around before, but seeing as trombones are at the other side of the orchestra from the string section, we'd never actually spoken before.

When we got to Ireland, we ended up being around each other a lot as well. He was good at making conversation, which suited me fine because I don't find it so easy (very shy), and was generally friendly, plus he didn't drink and so often ended up walking those people who did back home after pubs because he was one of the only people trusted not to lose keys. Other people in the orchestra started noticing that we were spending a lot of time together, and rumours started going round...despite him referring to me as "a much prettier vision" and "milady", though, I didn't think anything of it, because I assumed he was joking.

I'm beginning to think he wasn't, though. A few days after we got back home, he sent me a text asking what I was doing the following day, and saying that he was going to be in town after a piano lesson. I was free, so I suggested meeting up for lunch, thinking it'd be just a casual thing between friends, but he insisted on paying. I didn't feel right owing him like that, so I said told him that we were meeting up again and that I'd be paying this time! So we had lunch again today, but this time he insisted on walking me back to my place. I invited him in, thinking he'd just stay for a bit so I could show him round (I only moved in last month), but he ended up staying three hours! I'm not the most assertive of people, the biggest hint I managed to give was "what time do you need to be back?", but he either didn't pick up on it or ignored it, and only left after a phone call from his dad.

He's nice and all, but I don't see him as any more than a friend! And I'm getting worried that I'm giving him the wrong idea - I'm hopeless at this sort of thing, have only ever had one boyfriend before and that was when I was 14. He's asked me to a concert with him and his family on Thursday afternoon, and I said I'd go because I thought it might be a bit safer than going to lunch again, but I'm not sure that was wise. I could really use some advice to stop this getting out of hand!