Well if you almost dated then it could mean two things; either she just wants hang out with her friend, chill out and have fun and forget about the rubbish stuff or she's interested in you and might want to pursue something o/ You should totally go for it and see where it leads but it's best to expect the former.

Dude there is plenty of people like you in NYC, you just need to look. For one, look up on Facebook Perez Play events, she hosts welcoming anime-themed events all the time as well as an unique Stoplight VDay party for next month. There is also Arcade Nights at Superchief Gallery NY and more.

Considering it has been 8 years it would seem arbitrary to pick up again, although I think they should go the route of Firefly, make a movie depicting where the manga/show left off and then maybe come up with its own ending. Otherwise despite the "risk" I think the fans should be entitled to an adaptation with a conclusive ending...

How it do?