M27: Should I bother trying with her?
Some backstory: I haven't dated seriously since 2021, I have a few FWB that I occasionally meet with should the desire arise but they are people I can be friends with but absolutely couldn't live with long term due to personality/lifestyle mismatch or where they live for work.
There is this new lady at work. I know work is a terrible idea but we work on different floors and with different groups but is that enough?
She is around my age and I find her attractive, the issues I am seeing are:
I don't know if she is single at all.
I've chatted with her in the break room just after she started but I'm not sure of when she would be there again and by the time I clock her routine I feel it will be too long or too awkward.
She attended an event for work I pushed myself to go to (I'm trying to leave my comfort zone more often) and I wanted to chat again but I was in the middle of a conversation with someone I already knew and feel she may believe I blew her off because I couldn't think of a way to loop her into the conversation and the eye contact moment passed.
I'm involved with other women, just not romantically. I feel this is a large put off and should something happen I would call off the benefits parts but I am genuinely friends with some of them and would hate to go no contact but would also hate to say "yes we used to have sex but not anymore" because that is a flag SO red.
I feel trying to be friends first with her seems the move but I can't think of anyone else at work to invite out most are older and/or married already (I'm a transplant to the city I live in and have been here 2 years) and I don't want the pressure of 1 on 1 interaction outside of work to push it a certain way.
I'm sorta new friends with a few people but I don't know how it will hold up if I've barely started remembering their names and suddenly try dragging in someone else into the group.
The overall question with this situation is: Should I even bother trying to interact with her more meaningfully than water cooler chat or should I focus on strengthening my social circle I am just barely starting to build?