Need help, I don't know how to date!

Ok, I'm seriously like 14 when it comes to guy/girl stuff. I've been sober just over 9 months, and single for just over a year. I haven't had an "innocent" "normal" relationship since high school. I've never met a guy and developed a crush and gone out on a date. I've always met guys in bars, gotten drunk, and had sex. So...here's where I need help. I don't know the first thing about when a guy is interested, and what I should do! There's this guy I started noticing at meetings on Tuesday nights. One week we kept making eye contact. I thought it was interesting and didn't think about it again until the next Tuesday. I didn't say anything to anyone about it because I forgot about it I guess. Then, the next week at the meeting, my best friend comes in and say's (we'll call this guy Bill) "What do you think about Bill?" Out of nowhere!!!!! After I'd noticed him the week before. Anyway....I told her about the week before. Turns out her boyfriend is good friends with one of Bill's good friends. So I tell my co-workers about it the next day and they're like, "Her boyfriend probably knows something and suggested it to her." I don't think so, I think she would have told me but I don't know! Is this freakin high school or what?? The thing is, this is the first "possible" I've really had in sobriety and it's wierd. This has been going on for about a month now. We've started chitchatting after the meetings, not really about anything. There's a possibility he'll be at a super bowl party that my best friend's boyfriend is having tomorrow, but I'm not sure. I saw Bill at a meeting today, and we just kept kind of catching each other's glances. Then he's getting ready to leave and he made eye contact and said, "Bye Rayna!" All day long since I saw him, I've had this gut feeling that it's gonna be my job to do the footwork, take action, and make a move. I've seriously wanted to find out where he works and "drop in", just to run into him. I'm learning to trust my gut, but this feeling is soooo strong, that I'm gonna be the one to break the ice and make a move. It's scary! Because there's the doubt in my head telling me I'm nuts, I'm imagining the whole thing, he's not interested, it's all in my head. So....I thought the best advice I can get is in this forum from people completely on the outside of the situation. To sum up, we make eye contact all the time, he's started making small talk with me, calls me by name (not on the phone though), and last week when he was leaving he reached out and whacked my arm in goodbye. So...what do you think??? HELP! Seriously, I don't know how to do this stuff the right way, and I'm 27. Need advice from the girls and the guys on this one. Opinions????

Thanks for letting me ramble on. =)

~Rayna

Well, (smiling) - first off I would say to just try to be his friend and talk to him as you would any one else, the best marriages started out in friendship.
Then I would suggest that you not play any guessing games, let him know that you are interested in the relationship growing into something else - do this either through a mutual friend or by asking him out for coffee and some good conversation.
Touching his arm or hand is a good sign that you are interested.... try IT some times.

LoVe,
Rhapsody -

That's what my friend was telling me last night. You're right - playing the guessing game was crap I used to do. The gut feeling I was getting yesterday was that I'm gonna be the one to break the ice. He's just another person right? I'll just talk to him...tell him I'd like to get to know him better, can we go for coffee...He did the whole arm touch thing a couple weeks ago. You know what it is? My fear of rejection. But if I get rejected, so what!!! Then it's not meant to be with him. And he wouldn't be cruel about it like guys from the past. Ok...thank you Rhapsody, I think you might have given me some confidence, especially since you seconded what my friend said last night. I might see him today....courage courage courage! Hehe, thanks.

~Rayna

Good for YOU Raynaadi,

Just take it as slow as you need and breathe girl breathe.... you can do IT.

My last word of advice.... be careful not to take every little thing that he does or says no to as a sign of rejection - for I know this is how your heart will tend to work / think, for I too am afraid of rejection and it has gotten in the way of my life (and love) to many times over.

Good Luck.....

LoVe,
Rhapsody -

I have a total faith that things will be as they're supposed to be....which is new for me. I was always wanted things MY way and would manipulate a situation to suit my needs. But now I know that whatever happens is what's best for me. That's making it a little easier for me to get the courage to make a move. Knowing that the outcome will be exactly what it's supposed to be. =) Still nervous, but getting excited too that I'm doing yet one more thing different and RIGHT in my life today. I'll update you as soon as there are any developments, if there are haha.

~Rayna

Update: The guy didn't come to the superbowl party and I was all ready to be couragious. However, I did get to know another guy that I was totally not expecting....so, who knows. =) I actually just called him but got his voice mail. I had a computer question and he's a computer guy. So.....thanks for the advice! It might have worked, just totally not in the way I was expecting!!!

Totally new developments that I never expected! The guy from the party called back, and we ended up talking about the computer for a few minutes, then trading screennames, so we chatted online. I'm meeting him before the meeting on Tuesday so he can look at my computer....he's sooo easy to talk to! I don't get all wierd when I talk to him. So...thanks again for the advice, it worked!

They say not in the first year for a reason.

I know that's what is suggested. That's why my sponser knows everything I do, and if I hadn't worked all the steps and already started sponsering, I'd never dream of getting into a relationship. I'm also very aware that I can't stop something that my HP puts in front of me. If my HP thinks it's too soon, then nothing will develop. That's something I understand today and am not longer trying to force something or manipulate a situation to suit me best. I don't intend to start anything incredibly serious, just dating.