my favorite pick up & break up

I find it pretty amusing that my favorite pick-up line (used on me) and the best break-up line I've ever used both go to the same guy: Aw Shucks.

Aw Shucks is just one of those guys who seems simple and sweet, kind of a frat boy but whose Midwestern charm and aw-shucks/who-me? smile gets him out of trouble all the time.  We were at a fundraiser dinner back in 2008.  I was on the event committee with a friend of his, and we were all at the same (rowdy) dinner table.  After dinner, we all went to the 2nd part of the fundraiser, listening to a fun band that played a lot of latin-infused, very dance-able music.  So I was D-A-N-C-I-N-G.  Aw Shucks, as you might predict for a sweet Midwestern frat boy, was not much of a dancer.  But he tried anyway, because he was trying to get to know me!  It was sweet in that (go figure) aw-shucks kind of way.

As I got ready to leave, he made his move:  "If I invited you to dinner, and it didn't involve dancing at all, would you still go out with me?"  Awwww...  how could any girl turn that down?  I think that has to be my favorite pick-up line of all time.  He took my number and called the next day.  Such a sweetie.

We dated for a handful of weeks.  He was sweet, kinda sexy when he wanted to be.  A gentleman at all the right times, and not a gentleman at all the right times.  We had a good time, but it was apparent pretty soon that the "relationship" wasn't going anywhere.  As I learned from Joe College, just because we are two nice people doesn't mean we should be stay together if it just ain't there.

After thinking about it for a while, I knew what I needed to say to him...  over beer, of course. And I said to Aw Shucks my best break-up line ever: "There was a point at which I realized I really wanted to find a friend to fix you up with - but it was a little too late for that." 

He smiled that adorable aw-shucks smile of his, even though he knew I was breaking things off.  Turns out, he felt more or less the same way.  But I think that is the first and only time I've managed to break-up with a guy and have him find it almost a compliment.  It helps that I meant it sincerely. 

Of course, I'm not sure that I should brag about being good at breaking-up.  But I do want to be remembered as considerate and all.