TL;DR : I (25M) like a shy intern (24F) from my home country. We’ve had a few small interactions, but I got super nervous talking to her. She’s really reserved and mostly talks to her manager. Her friend probably told her about my past with other girls. She’s been avoiding eye contact lately. Her internship’s ending — should I ask her out now or wait and message her after?
I’m a 25-year-old guy, graduated last year, and currently working a corporate job. I get along pretty well with everyone at the office — I’m naturally social and tend to bond easily with people.
About three months ago, a new intern (24F) joined the company. She’s still in college. At first, I didn’t really notice her — there are plenty of attractive women at my office, but I’m usually not interested because we don’t often share the same values. I’m looking for someone more traditional, and that’s not so common.
One day, we were in a meeting and she introduced herself. That’s when I found out we’re from the same country — which, for me, is a big deal. My heart started racing a bit. That same day, I made up a casual excuse to talk to her by borrowing her charger. We had a bit of small talk — nothing big — I wanted things to feel organic.
The next day, there was a work event — kind of like speed-dating but with coworkers: five-minute chats to get to know each other. I actually timed it so I’d start the rotation with her. But we ended up arriving late, so we didn’t get to talk during the rotation.
After the event, I went up to her and said, “Hey, we didn’t really get a chance to talk.” She smiled and agreed, and we chatted for a bit — just basic stuff like where she’s studying and where I studied. It was short but nice.
Now, one thing about her: she’s really shy. She barely talks to anyone in the office aside from her manager. Like, it’s not just with me — she genuinely keeps to herself and doesn’t engage much in group conversations. She’s not cold, just very reserved.
Fast forward a few weeks — we ended up alone during lunch because the rest of the team had gone out. One of our coworkers had brought brownies, and she looked too shy to take one. So I grabbed one and handed it to her, and started a conversation. But honestly, I was incredibly nervous. My hands were shaky, the vibe felt off, and the conversation had some awkward pauses. Which is not normal for me. I’m used to talking to girls — I date, I go out, I have lots of female friends — but with her, I was so in my head, afraid of saying the wrong thing.
Another factor is her close friend (24F) (also an intern), who I’m pretty cool with. That friend definitely knows about two girls I’ve had an embarrassing past with, and I’m sure she told her about it — which could be affecting how she sees me.
Since the brownie moment, we haven’t had another real one-on-one. We did cross paths once in the hallway — I smiled and wished her a happy holiday (it was right after a long weekend), and I could tell she appreciated that I remembered. She smiled warmly and wished me the same — it felt genuine.
Lately, I’ve noticed she’s been avoiding eye contact. And to be honest, I haven’t tried to force anything — partly because I don’t want to make her uncomfortable, especially during her internship.
⸻
So now I’m wondering: Her internship is wrapping up soon. Should I try to ask her out before she leaves? Or would it be better to wait until she’s done and reach out more casually — like adding her online or Instagram?