So there’s a new gentleman caller ringing your bell lately?  Maybe he’s the lightning bolt that struck you only last week or maybe he’s the “friend” who’s finally ready for more than a good chat.  There’s nothing like the intoxication of a new relationship to turn you into a grinning cliché.  But when the territory is this new, there’s a million possible ways to go off track… 

 Believe it or not, even a woman as smart, beguiling and as clearly enticing as yourself can mess it up good and proper with her new beau.  Here are some of the most common – but perhaps unexpected - ways a woman can cause a new relationship to explode on take-off.

1. You're still in love with your ex.
What is up with you ladies and your exes?  Hey, we’ve all been guilty of jumping into fresh pools of l’amour while we're still a bit damp from the last.  But when a guy realises he’s accidentally driven head-first into someone else’s relationship pile-up, he’s going to grab the jaws of life and hoist himself to safety.  It’s easy to tell when Juliet has an old Romeo on her mind.  Perhaps it’s that slightly dewy gaze at dinner, eyes flicking repeatedly to cell phone placed on table, which says: Yeah, you're doing okay buddy but I'm totally ready to jump ship should Barry call me back.  Eventually, the mournful looks into the distance are gonna get old, and you’ll have one more ex to add to the list. 

2. You're too easy.
We men are challenge-orientated creatures.  And while a girlfriend who offers us nothing will certainly cause us to eventually give up in tantrum-throwing form like we did on Tomb Raider 2 in 1997 (guy joke), we will be similarly put off by the girl who offers us no challenge at all. Some women go about the art of seduction in a similar manner to swatting a fly off your forehead with a spade: yes, it may do the job in the most immediate sense, but there may not be much left of anything once the dust clears.  If we realise that climbing into your bed is less like conquering Everest and more like idly riding shopping mall escalators, we’re going to get put off quick.  To be clear for the girl who puts it all out there straight away: yes, he's going to come home with you.  He just might not stay for long… 

3. You're the commitment phobe.
Right, ladies: gender stereotype busting time.  Yes, we men can be fickle, unreliable creatures.  He of the gleaming smile and the smooth words on Friday night can also be he of the unanswered cell phone by Saturday afternoon.  However there are just as many commitment-phobic women lurking out there.  And while we all know that there’s few guys chasing ‘Happily Ever After’ so early on, there's nothing worse than a girl who can't decide from week to week whether she's in the game or not.  “Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen" is a demonstrably true tactic in the short term, but there will come a time around your third last-minute date cancellation that we'll just get over it.