I’ve met someone I like in a way that is very different from anyone I’ve ever liked before (or like at the moment). 

We met within one of the groups of climbing buddies and have climbed together three times in the past few weeks, twice with other persons from the same climbing group and once just the two of us. 

They’re non-binary, in sort of a similar way to me, i.e. they’re generally assumed to be female and people tend to use “she” pronouns for them until they’re told to do otherwise — as for me. But there’s something very gender-neutral or androgynous about this person I like — at least in my opinion — in a way that I like very much and resonate with. 

I feel drawn to this person in a sweet and delicate, yet powerful, way that I’ve never experienced before and that feels quite scary. Because I’m afraid of somehow “scaring them away”.

I’d like to get to know them better, to get closer, but I don’t know how to go about it… I know I can be very forward: I have actually been told by several men that I am “bold” or “brave” and that I “can come on pretty strong”. But those were all situations in which, for one reason or another, I wasn’t afraid of “scaring the other person away”. Now I am: I’m afraid of possibly ruining something sweet and delicate and lovely. I really don’t know what to do and it feels so strange and new to me…