Should we follow the 'he's just not that into you' rule?

We're sure you all recall that a few months ago we wrote about a confusing dating situation between Veronica and Charlie (if you don't know what we're talking about look back to February posts). Unfortunately this limbo-like dating situation is still up in the air. This is what has happened since: after another month of the usual flirty text messaging, Veronica and Charlie finally met up and had a lovely date together. Veronica thought things were going well but, two weeks later, and it's confusing again. After reading several signs she still doesn't know whether he likes her or not.

Sign 1. After the first date he promised he would message the next day and he did. Likes.
Sign 2. A few days later she asked him on another date and he said yes. Likes.
Sign 3. At the last minute he cancelled the date because he was "just buggered". Doesn't like.
Sign 4. After promising to reschedule he didn't. Doesn't like.
Sign 5. He messages again that weekend. Likes.
Sign 6. He was drunk. Doesn't like.
Sign 7. Veronica gave one last effort to organise a date which he agreed to (which will commence in 2 hours. Fingers crossed!). Likes.

We don't know all the 'dating rules' but one that all girls should know is the "he's just not that into you" rule. The rule states that if a guy doesn't call you, he doesn't want to call you. If he doesn't act interested, he's not interested. And if a guy acts like he doesn't give a shit, he genuinely doesn't give a shit. No exceptions.

Although it seems to be harsh if a girl comes to terms with this rule it can make dating a lot easier. Take Sex and the City, in the episode where Miranda learns of the "he's just not that into you" rule. She takes the rule on board and when her date doesn't follow through it's okay because she could see it coming - he declined an invitation to spend the night in her apartment in the first place. In the movie based around this rule, "He's Just Not That Into You", when Gigi hears the rule after her date never called, it makes her dating life easier from that point forward.

We've written before about how it's so difficult to tell if a guy likes you. If this rule works in theory, it removes all the hard work in dating. If a guy doesn't like you, you know he doesn't like you, because he acts like he doesn't like you, and then you can move on. How easy is that? But that's only if this rule actually works because we've come to realise that it doesn't always.

We believe most girls have accepted the 'he's just not that into you' rule. But the problem with the rule is that guys don't act by it. What we mean is: he will act like he's not interested but give it a few days and chances are he will be interested again. Take Charlie. After the first time Veronica asked him on a date and he didn't follow through, she was ready to write him off. Then he continues to message her so she thinks he must like her. After their first proper date went well and he followed through with a message the next day she started to get excited. But when he cancelled the next date she went to back to square one again. You can see why this gets confusing. It's not just Charlie, this has happened to us over and over and over and over again. And we are sick of it!!! It's confusing and exhausting and one of the most frustrating aspects of dating. So now where does that leave us?

Unfortunately if we knew the answer to this question we probably wouldn't be in situations like these and get so frustrated about it. If you have any thoughts let us know, because we're stumped on this one. All we can offer is perhaps a reason as to why guys defy the 'he's just not that into you' rule. In our experience, although the girl accepts the rule and begins to get over the guy, he's actually not willing to let her go - whether he likes her or not.