This definitely reads better than the last one. Stuff I'd say is this.

I'm guessing it felt a bit odd opening with basically nothing. If I had to guess I'd say that's probably the source of them thinking it's a dare. How you're feeling gets subcommunicated across automatically when you talk to people, whether you like it or not. If you approach thinking it's a big deal, they'll get that impression too. That's all good. Ride it out, the more you do it the more natural it will feel, and the more of a natural reaction you will get. You're still reaction fishing a fair bit, but again, this will even out a lot as you get more comfortable with it.
One more thing I'd say is instead of trying to get a number so early, just speak to the same girls later on in the night. It's fine to have short interactions early on, I used to just have a few super short ones to loosen up back in the day. But bear in mind, shit ain't necessarily over just because they've got to go right now. You can hit up the same people like 3 or 4 times in a night easy, in fact that's what I do quite a bit. Shit is rarely instantly on when you're starting, but you'll often find that if you hit up some girls early on then speak to them later shit is way cooler and easier. You'll find this works way better than just grabbing a number earlier. You'll often find that with a number off a short interaction girls won't even remember who the fuck you are. Focus on talking to people more, works much better, and even if it doesn't it's good practise.

Nice one for taking my advice and applying it too. Most new guys just come on here expecting to get their own preconceptions confirmed, so good one for listening, it's how you'll get better. Keep at it.