How to Wait for His Call

Minutes pass like molasses when waiting for romance to ring.

Your eyes locked. You smiled. He smiled. The smiling gave way to "Hello," which gave way to flirting, which gave way to an exchange of dating's Holy Grail: The Digits. The stars aligned. Magic danced through the cosmos. Now if he would only hurry up and walk those fingers across his keypad so the real magic could happen. Whoever invented the Three Day Rule must have been a masochist because while letting romantic tension build is certainly an important aspect of the courting process, waiting to reconnect with a hot prospect can tie your stomach in knots and fry your nerves. When the phone doesn't ring, minutes drip like molasses, which is a far cry from the flood of energy and affection had hoped to be feeling. Here's how to ensure that the torture of waiting for his call will not be the death of you.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

1. Get busy. Pining, pondering, staring into space and planning your honeymoon will only make the waiting harder. You know what they say about "a watched pot?" It will not boil, so step away from the stove.

2. Start a project. Since your anticipation seems to have made the second hand sweep at a snail's pace, it's going to feel like you've suddenly added hours to your day. Think of this as a blessing. We all wish for more time, right? Use these slow moving minutes to immerse yourself into a task you've been meaning to complete. Paint bedroom walls. Reorganize closets. Repair tattered clothing. Balance that checkbook. Compose a symphony. Cure cancer.

3. Fill your calendar as usual. Don't skip step class, don't bail on dinner with the girls, don't postpone your trip to the dentist. He will call when he calls and when he does, you can fit him amongst your previous engagements (don't worry, I guarantee that if it's meant to be, you'll find the time no matter how busy you are). Leaving Saturday open because you think MAYBE he MIGHT call and POSSIBLY want to get together will MOST LIKELY leave you lonely and bored on Saturday night.

4. Accept dates with other men. You cannot decide to exclusively date one man until you have been out with him at least 3--and preferably 5--times. Period.

5. Remember: Desperation reeks. It's a cruel trick of physics or a mystery of nature that a man can smell neediness from miles away. L'eau de Desperation is not a pleasant scent and will certainly repel your crush faster than Pepe Le Pew.

6. Be thankful that you now have a greater appreciation of the agony behind all those songs and plays and films that muse about longing. Perhaps you can pen you own poem of pining.

7. Take matters into your own hands. If you've waited as long as you can stand, if you want to see him, if you need to know what he's thinking, pick up the phone and ring him yourself, girl. There's no shame in making the first move. If he's disinterested or dismissive, he isn't worth another ounce of your precious pining energy.

Tips & Warnings

• Chances are he'll call when you genuinely least expect it.

• Watch out for the "What's wrong with me?" trap. If he never calls, remember that there are a million reasons why two people don't connect. Maybe an ex-girlfriend came back into the picture, maybe he lost your number, maybe he got nervous, maybe he a bus ran him over. There is nothing wrong with you. This just wasn't your match.