an issue i constantly have when meeting someone new, and is someone who i find somewhat attractive, is that they just so happen to be straight.. what i'd usually do is just try to play it cool and control myself by keeping as much distance between us as possible. by distance i mean not try to get too friendly or whatever, but still be open to talk to, but not be like super invested in the conversation. Even then, i find myself staring at the person when they're not looking (sounds stalker-ish doesn't it smilies/icon_xd.gif), but i try to keep it under a few seconds and not let myself be distracted.

The PROBLEM is that this time, it's someone I work with. He and I are still considered pretty new, and i thought it would be easier to try to talk to him since it seemed like there were little cliques among our co-workers smilies/icon_stare.gif what i hate is when i engage in a conversation with someone who i find remotely attractive, i tend to just stare at them while they're talking, and then i sorta blank out smilies/icon_confused.gif and as days go by and i talk to them more, i begin to misconstrue all their friendly gestures for something flirtatious... smilies/icon_gonk.gif

my dilemma is i don't know whether to continue being friendly towards this person or to just squash whatever potential there would have been for a friendship?

another thing is, he refers to me as "bro". you know, like how some guys address each other as "bro, brah, bruh" etc. (for those of you who are unfamiliar with this) when i'm assuming they think you're "alright" to talk to or whatever. I'm not exactly "out there" with my sexuality either (not to say that I mind sharing my orientation if I was ever asked); i'm just quiet most of the time and don't talk unless spoken to first. but most of what straight guys at work talk about are things i can't even relate to, so i have no input, and i wouldn't be surprised if i was seen as a mute.
this is why i can't talk/be friends with straight guys (other than the ones i already have which are only a few anyway).

before i forget to mention, he seems like the guy who hangs out with d-bags. so i wouldn't be surprised if he acted like one as well from time to time.

towards the end of our shift, i decided to just stop talking and focus on work. i don't know if he took that the wrong way (as many others probably have from past experiences) because when it was time for us to go home, he didn't even acknowledge me or anything, and i was near him. i tried not to care though because i thought it would have been for the best anyway.

however, i'm actually thinking of trying to ask if i could be moved to a different position so that i wouldn't have to be in the same environment as him. do you guys think that's too much?

sorry for the sorta long post. i don't know any gay people personally, and i just thought this could be my next option.