*cough*
uhm, I dunno hey... I used to be heavy shy of asking girls out. It could also not be just any random girl. I wanted to at least befriend them 1st. Then you're stuck in the loop of being too scared to kill the friendship & you're back to square 1.
Now I've just stopped bothering all together. *meh*
Yea i don't suggest befriending if you want more from the outset. You will get lumped into the 'friends basket' and good luck getting out of there.
A little flirting at least lets us know that you are interested and no real harm can be done.