Stop me if you think you've heard this one before

It happened last night. Work was slow. He was working at the register right next to me. There was a lull. He turned to me.

"You growing a beard?" he asked, grinning.

I shrug. "I guess. It's a little patchy, but I grew one last winter and I liked it."

He nods, still smiling at me.

"Nice haircut too," he adds.

"Thanks," I reply. I point at him. "You need a haircut." (I'm flirting, see.)

He gets all embarrassed. "I know! My sister's getting married this weekend, and blah blah blah....."

The details aren't important. What is important is that he kept talking to me all night.

He wanted to talk about Borat; he wanted my opinion on films, and what my favorite movies are, and what movies I think he should see.

What? When I asked him why, he said, "Because. You're a film guy and you probably have good taste."

Hmm. How does he even know about my past dalliances in film? I don't think I've told a single person there that I used to do that. Certainly not him. He and I have barely talked, and it wasn't about our pasts.

Anyway, it went on all night. We would frequently look up at each other and smile. At one point, he came and stood right next to me to tell me something.

So, this should all be good, right? Flirting heavily with a boy I find funny and very attractive, in a totally pressure-free environment like work? Not only that, but he instigated all of it! I swear!

Well here's the problem: he's 21-years-old!!!!!!

God damn you, cruel Fate! I was this close to seeing if he wanted to go grab a beer at the Draft Horse after work, but I was hungry and wanted to go home and eat. So I didn't (at least I know my priorities). And I was afraid he'd say no. And I was afraid that I was grossly misreading all of this. It wouldn't be the first time I've mistaken friendliness/kindness for flirting or romantic interest (story of my life, in fact).

Which I have discovered is the biggest problem with being 29, an undergrad in college, and working a part-time job at a hip Austin establishment: I meet tons of new people all the time (between school and work), but they're all, like, between 19 and 21. And no matter how attractive, or funny, or smart, or interesting they might be to me, they're still only 19-21, and possess no hope of giving me any kind of fulfilling relationship. I suppose I could just enjoy their company for what it is, maybe have some quickie rolls in the hay with some young, hot dudes, and then move on, but frankly, I'm just looking for a little more substance than that these days. Casual sex does not hold the allure it used to hold for me, for a multitude of reasons.

In fact, the last man I actually met in person (as opposed to the internet) was about 3 weeks ago, and it turned out we had some mutual friends, and the story got very twisted, but we were both very interested in each other, but he was only 25, and just as I suspected, he turned out to be flaky and unreliable. And I was actually disappointed. Just goes to show you I'm right. When you're working in the realm of men, always go older. Never younger. They only let you down.

Okay, this post was just supposed to be about Flirty Work Guy; how did I get into all this?

I have to go run errands.