im f23, my coworker (m23) is normally very quiet but within the last few months has been making an effort to talk to me. i dont see him do this to anyone else in the office. he asks me questions about my interests, my hobbies, and little things like where i went to school. we normally joke around a lot but im realizing we have a lot in common- we even both carry a $2 bill in our wallets for good luck. weve been working together for almost two years now- i knew he had a girlfriend but he made a passing comment yesterday that they broke up a while ago.

im seeing where this is going, but between being autistic and not having a lot of serious dating experience i have NO idea what to do or what hes expecting of me. i cant lie he makes me laugh a lot and i get nervous when i talk to him and i do think hes attractive, but this is just limerence right?

i have a few questions about making a game plan for the future:

-as far as i knew, men didnt "shit where they eat". or at least dont date people they meet at work. wont dating make things awkward between us? ive heard most people say you should never date coworkers. even just going out to get to know each other might make things weird if it doesnt work out.

-on top of that, i dont know how long its been since he broke up with his girlfriend. is he "rebounding"?

-i identify as nonbinary, and im in the closet at work. i feel like this is going to be a major issue because i can only assume this guy is straight.

i dont know, should i just reject him and move on? am i making a big deal out of nothing? feelings are very confusing for me...im worried this is a sign im not ready for anything, even trying to move towards that.

ive been a sweaty nervous wreck all day and i dont know why. my stomachs in knots and i cant stop thinking about this. what do i do?