Rehabilitated player/flirt/serial dater is such a good dynamic in so many ways. Itās so fun. I love characters that you donāt take seriously when they flirt with you because you think theyāre just giving you the same routine they give everyone else. I love the dynamic of that character actually feeling something real for you and you not realizing for quite a while that they mean the things they say because you assumed they were just having fun (and maybe they assumed you were playing hard to get but werenāt about to stop trying, because you make their heart do flips in a way no one has before).
I love the possibility of friends letting slip that they seem to have changed their ways and donāt seem nearly as interested in flirting or dating these days (or even running into exes or flings of theirs who admit that the character broke it off, said theyāre looking for something more serious. Or even mentioned that they met someone who has them thinking about doing this for real, being in it for the long haul*). Maybe youāre out some place together, and they politely wave off the advances of someone whoās definitely their type, maybe even seeming a bit flustered or awkward when you ask why they didnāt go for it. They shrug and smile and the conversation moves on, but you think itās weird.
I love dynamics where you might tease or flirt back because you think itās a joke, but you always wave off suggestions of actual dates. And then when you learn theyāve meant every wordā¦ it feels like your whole world is turned on its head, and suddenly you feel tongue-tied when they say sweet things. The next time they give you a cheesy line and that winning smile, itās so much harder to keep your cool and keep your heart guarded.
*bonus points for their ex mentioning specifics that make you realize ohhh shit, thereās no way they donāt mean you. āThey said thereās someone at workā or āThereās someone they met at [event or place]ā or some sort of identifiers that bring the realization crashing down on you: not only are they serious about someone. Theyāre serious about me.
