Am I imagining things or is my 21yo coworker flirting with me?
35F, lesbian, femme, single, senior leadership at an MNC. I’m very femme, usually in a suit at work, and apparently give off such strong “straight woman” vibes that nobody would ever guess I’m a lesbian!
For context, my first girlfriend left me for a guy and got married. I stayed single for a few years, then met my second girlfriend. We were together for 10 years, and I was about to ask her to marry me when I found out she’d cheated on me. I’ve been happily single ever since and honestly have zero interest in dating.
Now, a 21F joined my team 6 months ago (she doesn’t report to me). She’s very femme, so I have no idea if she’s even into women.
She constantly compliments my perfume, clothes and accessories, finds excuses to come to my desk, and I catch her looking at me a lot. She also told me I make her feel “very comfortable,” despite us barely talking.
At this point, the combination of the compliments, the excuses to come over, and the very frequent glances is starting to feel less like ordinary coworker friendliness and more like she might actually have a little crush on me.
Or maybe I’m wildly overestimating my own charm and she’s simply being friendly. Who knows.
Also, I’m basically old enough to be her grandmother, and I have absolutely ZERO interest in her. Even if I were her age and interested, workplace romance is a hard no for me.
If she does eventually make it obvious, what’s the best way to handle it professionally without embarrassing her or making things awkward?