I fell in love with a girl who's currently taking a break from romance because of a past heartbreak.

For context, this girl is part of the same circle of friends that I'm on. We were former coworkers at a previous company last year. She was cute but I was never really attracted or had feelings for her before. We never really talked much until our mutual friends/coworkers decided to hang out much more often these past few months.

This girl... She's just full of adventure and passion. I already knew this fact because we're also friends on Facebook and Instagram. She loves to hike, travel outdoors, and go to the most breathtaking sceneries around the country. That's probably one of the main reasons why I fell for her. But the moment that really hit the nail for me was when we finally went on a mountain hike together, along with our mutual friend. When I first saw her during that day, it was like lightning just struck me. And it's kind of weird because I didn't find her this beautiful in the past. Also, the way she talks is very gravitating and the way she smiles is probably the biggest factor because her eyes literally disappear when she smiles. It's too adorable.

Admittedly, I also just came from a breakup last December but my ex and I ended the relationship on good terms that's why I must've moved on much quicker.

Anyway, my feelings for this girl became deeper after the hike. I started to think about her much more often. Then, one day I decided to muster up all my courage and asked her to have a cup of coffee with me. Fortunately, she agreed. I was so nervous deep inside because it was the first time that I'm going to talk to a girl that I really like after a long time. Luckily for me, we've had a great time catching up on each other's lives and getting to know each other much better.

But here's the catch, I asked her that day if she's currently dating anyone right now and she replied she doesn't have one. Then I followed up with another question, "Are you open to being in a relationship right now?" Which then she replied, "I'm not really thinking about those kind of things right now. I'm more into self-love lately." Which prompted me to ask when her last relationship was. She then answered that it was also just last year.

I know this story is a bit long for just explaining the context, but I just really need some thoughts or insights from you guys/ladies about this because I really like this girl and I don't want to come off as desperate. I'd really appreciate any kind of advice or words from you all.