One of my best friends is gay and I absolutely love going out with him.
Not in that way. Besides having similar interests and similar views, this guy is the friendliest and most interesting guy you'll ever meet. No AA at all, especially when talking to women. Most girls want to just sit there and chat with him, whether it's a club, bar, party, mall, whatever. He just picks their brain apart, and his homosexuality always helps him find common language with them.
How he has helped me: I only approach two to three girls when I go out at night, mainly to select which one is better. Since I don't want to say bye to any of them, I tell him I'm going to go meet girl X over there, and he should keep girl Y around and talk to her. He is more than glad to. If I need to come back to girl Y because she's better, I tell X that I want her to meet somebody, bring over my friend, introduce, and come back to Y. He talks to X and everyone's happy. This same pattern has happened 12-13 times. But I usually just like going out with him to just chill and have a good time.

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A morning of awkwardness is far better than a night of loneliness.
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