Wondering whether your relationship with a guy friend is purely platonic? If a guy you’re friends with has secret feelings for you, he might be good at hiding them. Still, there are a few tell-tale signs that not even the most careful crushers can disguise. Read about them below.
- He acts nervous around you. It’s normal to feel nervous around someone that you like. So naturally, if your guy friend acts nervous around you, it might be a sign that he likes you. What does acting nervous look like? He might fidget or stutter. He might blush when he talks to you. Or he might feel too awkward to look into your eyes. This nervous behavior could be a definite sign that he’s into you.
- He’s interested in your love life. If your guy friend secretly likes you, he might show interest in your love life. Maybe he’s looking for an opportunity to drop a hint that he likes you. More than likely, though, he’s just trying to learn about your dating life. He might want to know if you’re available and what kind of guys you like.
- He remembers the small details. It’s really cute when a guy remembers the little things you mention! If he remembers the small details, this shows that he’s paying attention to you. He’s really listening to you. While we tend to listen and pay attention to all our friends, this can be a sign that he really does like you in a romantic way.
- He makes it obvious that he’s single. Does he make it obvious that he’s single? This might be his way of subtly inviting you to make the first move. Just in case you like him too but think he’s taken, this will pave the way for something to happen between you (as long as you make the first move).
- He looks for excuses to see you alone. When you like someone, you’ll probably want to be alone with them. While hanging out in a group setting is fun too, we naturally crave alone time with the people we like. So if your guy friend likes you romantically, he might look for excuses to see you alone. For example, he might offer to pick you up and drop you off when you have plans with a bigger group. Or he might arrive to a group thing early, hoping to score a few minutes just with you.
- He compliments you. Compliments are a common sign of romantic interest. You don’t have to be romantically interested in someone to compliment them, but it can often be the case! If your guy friend is always commenting on things about you in a positive way, it’s possible he just can’t hide how impressed he is. Or, again, he might be subtly letting you know that he’s interested.
- If he does date, he doesn’t tell you about it. A guy liking you won’t necessarily stop him from dating other people. But if he does date, he more than likely won’t want you to know about it. He’ll want you to think he’s free in case you’re going to make a move. The exception would be when he’s trying to show off in front of you or make you jealous. In that case, he’ll rub his dates in your face.
- He is physically close to you as often as possible. Research shows that we subconsciously move closer to the people we like. So if your guy friend secretly has a crush on you, he might stand closer to you than he does to other people. He’ll often sit next to you or find excuses to touch you. Remember that it’s never okay for someone to touch you in a way that makes you uncomfortable without your consent.
- You catch him staring at you. We’ve all been there! It’s natural to stare at the object of our affection. In fact, it can be very difficult to take our eyes off someone we like. If you often catch your guy friend staring at you—and then he quickly looks away—it could be a sign that he likes you.
- He seems to get jealous/protective when you date other people. A guy who secretly likes you might do more than show interest in your love life. He might also act in ways that prove he’s jealous or overly protective. You might notice, for example, that he tries to talk you out of dating certain people or gets protective when you get your heart broken.
