35M girl asked my contact but gave up when she knew the age gap

I was in a zoom meeting and a friend of a friend asked my contact from her. When this common friend told me about her, she said that this girl "liked me." I added her and we talked for 2 days. But one of the first things she asked me was my age. I told her I'm 35 and she told me she is 21. I found her really pretty. But the next day she opened the game that she couldn't see herself with me because of the age gap. I told her that I know many couples that have a big age gap but she thinks that that is a sign of desperation. I completely respect her decision, but then why did she felt attracted to me in the first place? I have felt attraction to older and younger women before, but so far I have never found a woman who liked me mutually.