Al never seemed to have any luck when it came to women.
That is not to say he did not get along with them. Even when he was young, Al had an easier time interacting with the fairer sex then most boys his age who were fearful on contracting cooties or just saw girls as stupid. Pinako said it was because he had a good heart that made people feel welcomed, his mother complimented him on being a gentleman, and Winry believed it was because he was sweet. Al concluded that it was not his personality that was giving him trouble, and he wondered how much his appearance was to blame. Perhaps he just did not have any luck, for his brother was on the short side and foul tempered most of the time, and he still managed to do better when it came to girls, though just barely.
When Al took the time to reflect back on his past dealings with girls, he found the list to be a string of the same unfortunate results.
First, there was Rose from Liore, though Al had to admit it was more of a crush then anything. She was pretty and had a cheerful personality, when she smiled it made Al wish he could smile back. However, he should have known that appearances can be deceiving for they soon found out Rose harbored a dark desire to bring back her dead boyfriend. They needed to obtain the Philosophers stone and she was in the way. Her dreams would have to be shattered in the process, forcing her to face the harsh light of reality. Al could tell that even his brother felt bad about it, though he had used hard words to show his concern. They left her crumpled on the ground crying alone, the setting sun casting off long shadows as they left the city. Al regretted taking her smile away, he hoped that she would heed his words and move on to live a happier life. That is where the story ended.
Then there was Ruby. She was beautiful and intense, with her long silky black hair and black eyes that blazed with a fire that reminded Al of his brother. She never thought twice about him walking around in a full suite of armor, and she had a way of making Al feel welcomed. For a while, he was tempted to stay with her in the utopian society of Wisteria, where the people applied the Law of Equivalent Exchange to real life creating prosperity that he had rarely seen on his journey. He could not deny that a part of him liked pretending to be her fiancé, even if it was just so he could talk with the mayor of the town. In the end, he could not agree with her ideals once he saw that dark side of absolute Equivalent Exchange, even when she stood before him, desperation in her eyes as she pleaded for him to understand. He probably would never see her again, but he would always remember that rare soft expression on her face when they talked underneath a blanket of stars.
Lastly, there was Winry, his playmate, friend, sister, and the first crush he ever had with on a girl. Back when he still had his body, living in Risembool passing through his days with childish games and laughter, Winry was his best friend right after his brother. She tended to be bossy at times but she was always kind to him, teaming up with him to play tricks on his brother, or to share her cookies and crayons with him at school. When he and his brother argued about who would marry Winry, a part of him did it because he enjoyed teasing Ed but the other part really did want to marry her. She rejected the two brothers with a cruel flair not usually seen in six year olds, but years later Al knew, he that rejection was the only response he would receive if he confessed anything to her. Not that it mattered, he loved Winry but not in a romantic way, she would always be his family. Besides, she was meant to be with his brother, even if Ed was too thick headed to realize it.
With all his bad luck concerning women he was hesitant in thinking about them, that and he knew it was silly to worry about such things. He had bigger issues to deal with from government conspiracies, homunculus that wanted to use him as a sacrifice, to getting his body back, and making sure that his brother was not killed in the process. Sometimes though, when it was late at night and he had time to let his mind wander to self-desires, Al wondered what it would be like to be a normal teenager and have a girlfriend. He never talked to his brother about it, since Ed was holding back on his account, at least Al hoped that was the reason his brother kept pushing Winry away.
Lucky or unlucky for Al the women that he usually dealt with were far older then he was, or was in love with someone else. Girls around his age rarely crossed his path that was of course until Mei Chan had come crashing into his life.
He and his brother were pursuing Scar through the streets of Central, leaving behind a trail of destruction as they attempted to bring him down. Originally, they meant for him to help them coax the homunculus out from hiding, but it became a personal vendetta after the confrontation between Scar and Winry.
The two of them finally had him cornered when a whirlwind of purple and pink came out of nowhere, and managed with martial art moves that would have impressed their teacher, to bring down the famous Elric brothers. Al was by no means a novice to martial arts, he even surpassed his brother in skills and hoped to one day equal his teacher, and yet a young girl managed to send him flying with a double kick to the ribs.
He remembered starring in shock at this young girl with an unusual hairstyle consisting of two buns and six thin braids crouched in a fighter's stance, her large black eyes blazing with righteous anger, as she demanded to know why they were attacking Mr. Scar.
Then only a few days later she appeared again, this time Al and his brother Ed were currently at the mercy of Envy in his true form while having to watch their friend Ling become a homunculus. Al never realized how dependent they were on their alchemy when suddenly the Homunculi's leader the Father managed to block their ability to use it. Mei on the other hand, fueled by a divine rage that originated in his brother's wrong doing, Mei not only performed alchemy but also the most powerful and impressive long-range alchemy Al had ever seen. Without even breaking a sweat, she managed to take down Envy in its most powerful form, a towering creature that was easily the size of a house that had the appearance too gruesome for most children's nightmares.
Right from the start Mei Chan had managed to dumbfound Al, making her stand out from his usual dealings with girls.