That depends on the culture. There are Japanese women who actually felt strange by those who do not confess, and as such are actually expecting the guy to confess and be clear about their feelings before they can move on to the next step of the relationship.

Many of the other steps are somewhat within common sense, but the gist of it to simply not to make it a big deal. I'll go one step further by giving everyone this advice:

BE PREPARED TO BE SINGLE FOREVER and just WANK whenever you felt the need to, especially when you find it extremely difficult for you to get into a serious relationship.

Otherwise, stop hitting yourself on the head whenever you question why you don't "get" any love. Maybe you're ugly. Maybe you're just not friendly enough. Or maybe there's something about you that's not enough for most people, and it would be extremely rare to find anyone who would accept you. But what you need to prepare is to PREPARE HOW TO LIVE WITH YOURSELF, ALONE. Dating isn't for everyone, and serious relationships aren't definitely for everyone either. Your destiny is not necessarily the same as the rest of the world.

Just be happy with living with yourself, take good care of yourself, and then slowly move on to treating other people well. In time, perhaps you'll finally meet someone. But don't count on it.

And trust me, just when you thought you finally "made it", maintaining a relationship is another thing, and it would make you wish to be single again.

In short, it's REALLY NOT A BIG DEAL (especially if you're a girl). You're just HORNY.