Dear Prudence,
I met a very nice woman named Kelly about five years ago at an event hosted by our mutual friend. It’s a small town, and ever since then we see each other around every few months and say hello and chat pleasantly. We have a lot in common around our careers and interests (as well as tons of mutual acquaintances) so I thought maybe we’d become friends but she has never once initiated hanging out or responded to an invitation from me. The thing is every single time I see her she says something like “Sow it’s so nice to see you, I’d love to hang soon!” and not even in a flakey, rhetorical way. Most of the time that I see her is actually at her workplace, where she takes the time to come over, give me a huge hug, and speak with me for a while when she could easily just give a wave and a nod. It’s clear that Kelley has been following me on social media because she always knows what I’ve been up to. She always sounds so genuine and at this point, I’m baffled as to what to say in response. What I want to say is, “Oh, I’d love to but I’ve invited you individually and as part of a group to coffee hangs, potlucks, group hikes, etc. for years and you don’t even respond to the text so I’m not sure why you’re still doing this??” I get that you just can’t be close with everyone you find likable, and my feelings aren’t that hurt—I just truly don’t know what to say at the moment. Should I just say, “Sure, call me sometime!” and then dip?
—Sorry What?