I hear you. There are definitely places where flirting is a no-go. Anywhere that someone is being paid to be nice to you. Places where people go to do their own thing by themselves and not be bothered, like the gym or the grocery store. Places that tend to be a meat market, like community dancing, (while flirting isn’t forbidden, tread very lightly).

By way of perspective, what you were describing about missing cues etc, pretty accurately described me in my twenties. Women friends suspected I might be gay; no, just painfully awkward.

I hope that more of those experiences come your way, and that you know your worth well enough to recognize them when they are incoming.