Asking girls on dates

Until very recently, I have been terrified of asking girls on dates. This is an example of a typical date-asking-out-scenario:

Boy walks up to girl/calls her on the phone, "Hi Girl A*, this is Boy. Would you like to go out on a date with me on Friday? I was thinking we do this and that. I'll pick you up at 7pm."

Girl A, "Sure! Okay, sounds like fun! I'll see you then!"

And it's that simple. Or is it?

Here is what my mind has envisioned for many years as to what goes on in each other's heads:

Boy walks up to girl/calls her on the phone, "Hi Girl A, this is Boy. Would you like to go out on a date with me on Friday?" thinking, "I like you and want to get to know you better because as we both know, dating is how you eventually get married and by me asking you on a date, I am saying that I think you are a possible option for me when choosing someone I want to get married to. So hopefully this date works, but if it doesn't then I'm going to feel super bad and you'll probably hate me and be depressed because it didn't work out and I'm an evil person for not finding you attractive enough. Now you have to be single and keep hoping someone calls and asks you out!"

Girl A, thinking, "Oh, my, gosh. He is asking me out! Does he like me? I think he's cute. I can't believe he's asking me out!", says "Okay, sounds like fun!"

Growing up, I was afraid that if I asked a girl out they would automatically assume that I am willing to get married to them and will put forth effort to get to know them better. Which I suppose is partially true. But that has scared me so much that the girl might think I'm considering her for marriage that I never wanted to date when I was at the age. It took literately years before I spent weeks building up the courage to ask a friend out to prom on my 18th birthday. That took a lot of mental preparation. By the time I finally asked her out, I had put so much mental energy into it that when she said yes, I could feel all the stress, the worry and problems I had in my mind just fly away and was filled with indescribable joy.

So if asking someone out to prom before I served a mission was scary, imagine asking someone after your mission when it's clear what your next goal is?

Yet the few dates I've been on, asking them out so far hasn't been scary at all. It took me about 6-8 months since I been home to actually have the confidence to date, It hasn't been too bad and so far I don't think my imagined scenario has been reality too much. I guess when you haven't done it, you are terrified to do so and imagine the worst, but when you actually do it it's not as bad.

But that's how I viewed dating even until just recently. Once you do something you are scared and uncertain of, it will become less scary.