Once Bitten...(you know the rest)

Dear Anyone,

I think I'm becoming attracted to someone I used to be attracted to... and it's not necessarily a good thing. The first time round was years ago, when I didn't really know very much about the dating game. I got to know him through mutual friends and started liking him. Everyone has that person of the opposite sex, who they can say they spent hours and hours through the night on the phone with... he was that for me. Very easy to talk to, funny, and he had beautiful arms (yes that's important!). The problem was that someone close to me also liked him, and it turned into a sort of 'un-said' rivalry. In the end he chose her, but not before taking as much advantage of the situation as possible, by leading me to believe that he was also interested in me (even though I know he'd deny it to the death). I was really upset, and part of it was because I felt like a complete idiot. I'd found out when I called her one day, and she was at his house, and she told me that they'd been together for a week already.

He and I got back in touch last year, thanks to the power of the good old social networking sites, where we've been chatting a lot, and sometimes on the phone (but not that much). Some of the conversations have been quite flirty, but I have a feeling he's doing what he did back then, which is lure me into a false sense of security, which could then lead me to make a complete arse of myself.

I'd like to know whether there's a possibility that the flirting is for real, but I don't know how to go about finding out. I can't risk ANYTHING. Ok that sounds a bit melodramatic, but you get my point, right? He is someone who takes so very long to do things, and when I think that maybe we're getting somewhere that might give me an answer to something that might get me somewhere, he just takes it full circle and plays games. I don't know how he actually gets into relationships. He's so frustrating! I'm not going to do anything about it though, I've learnt my lesson when it comes to taking the bull by the horns. But watch this space, and I'll let you know how this develops... if it even develops at all.