If you read my other thread on what happened at the LGBT Board Game meetup, it gets more interesting. Our interloper (the gay one) is 22. I know this because we're now friends on Facebook (we were immediately). I messaged him when I got home, said "it was good hanging with you, we should do it again sometime soon". He replied with a smiley face. Not sure what that means, does he like me? More importantly, can anything ever happen between us? He's 22, for Christ's sake. I'm 34. I'm not sure if that age difference is insurmountable, or if he'd be looking for the same things I am. But he's damn cute. And our birthdays are 2 days apart
I wouldn't worry too much about the age gap. 12 years is not a long time, or at least that's the feeling of an old dinosaur like me.... The 22 vs. 34 might be an issue, because it would be different phases of life, though.... But ultimately, I'm not sure that hard and fast rules can be written. Age really is often just a number. A lot depends on the people involved. You can find "old soul" 20 year olds, and 6 year olds trapped in a 60 year old body. A high school teacher told me, seriously, that I was 15 going on 40--and I think he was right. In any case, this guy could be a good friend. I personally value the idea of friends outside my age range, partly because they can give me a different view of the world.
I dont know, a smile seems like a good sign to me. Maybe hes shy. Id say text him again, see if he responds. Ask him to come to the next meetup. Its worth a shot.
Your turn to be a little more aggressive -- invite him for coffee/drink/ whatever. And flirt a little, tell him you'd like to play games with him, or something. :icon_wink He'll either say yes or no.
12 years at those age differences is on the cusp. You are in very different stages of life, but depending on how each of you are, personality wise, it could potentially work. The main thing is to keep an eye on the balance in the relationship in terms of power dynamics... because you are just coming out, and he's (presumably) been out for a while, that tends to balance the power dynamic out quite a bit for the things where you've got more life experience. Just go into it open-eyed and see how it works.
