I met a girl a month ago at a pub on St. Patty's Day. That day I approached a table of four girls and started chatting and eventually me and my three buddies spent the rest of the day and night with them. Me and the hottest girl of the bunch hit it off right away - we had a lot of the same interests in common, I continuously made her laugh, she sent many IOIs and her and I ended up sneaking away from the group several times that night to make out. She's 25 and I'm 29.

Following that night we traded texts, hers being very positive and enthusiastic. I always played it cocky-funny and laid back. Three days after meeting she asked if I wanted to meet her for a drink after a hockey game she was going to but then she had to cancel (very credible excuse). She let me know that two days later she was having a surgical procedure to have part of her thyroid removed and she would be out of commission for at least a week but that she wanted us to get together soon after.

We traded a couple texts while she was in recovery. Then after she went back to work a week after the procedure I left her a voicemail one night and she didn't call back. She texted five days later and after trading a few texts we established that we'd try and meet up the next night. However, I never heard from her until 10pm and by then I was already out so I texted back over an hour later saying hopefully some other time. I called her several days later, leaving another voicemail but she didn't respond again.

She called me three days later on a Friday asking if me and my buddies wanted to meet up with her and her friends the next night. The conversation went quite well, I made her laugh quite a bit. We met them at the bar the next night and things seemed to be going well with her - we flirted and laughed - but then all of a sudden the group said they had to go home because one of the girls was sick. She simply turned to me and said "oh sorry I gotta go, I'm staying with her", gave me a quick arm clutch and cheek to cheek and then bolted.

I sent her a text yesterday that had some sarcasm to it but that then said I'd like to get together and do something with her sometime soon and asked whether she was free any time over the next few nights. No reply.

Please help me figure this girl out. I find myself more smitten with her than any of the girls I've met in a long time. Why does she keep disappearing and then reappearing? What should I do to finally land that one on one date with her and also make it progress from there?

Sorry for the long message - I really need some help here, guys.