I see what you're saying, Dora, but his whole point is that he's afraid to even approach a girl because he's certain that no matter what, she'll not give him an honest answer. My position is that he ought to go ahead and ask and look out for the signs that she's merely putting up with his company rather than enjoying it. And if he perceives that's the case, then he can break things off soon as he figures it out.

I'm not thinking of the girl who lies because she thinks she has to lie, so much as the girl who lies because she's setting her cap for him. For the girl who thinks she has to lie, that's what all the preceding stuff is about.

I mean to say, I can't tell a bloke to never be the one to initiate anything. All I can do is tell him to look out for signals that she's not as interested as she might be telling him.