Posted by Pascal on January 5, 2022 at 14:21
Sometimes in life, you have the privilege of experiencing something that is both exhilarating and a little nerve-racking – but in a good way. And there is nothing quite like it.
It is hard to clearly capture that sensation, but you have some good analogies available.
Like bungee jumping off a canyon in New-Zealand.
Going to a job interview for your dream job.
Or submitting your book to a publisher.
Anything, basically, that gives you butterflies in your stomach while at the same time making you feel a rush of adrenaline. It is a rare feeling, but it happens once in a while.
And perhaps one of the best and most common ways that you can experience it is when you have a crush on a guy. There is nothing quite as enjoyable as daydreaming about your potential boyfriend. At the same time, your mind starts racing with tons of questions:
“What if he likes me back? How will I know?”
“And what should I do if he does not like me?”
“Does my crush know I like him?”
That last question, in the line of “Does he know I love him?” is perhaps one of the most common ones. It hints at something very specific: As a girl, as a woman, you generally want to drop just enough hints that you like him but not go overboard and act clingy or stalker-y.
Sure, you could be direct and straight up ask him out.
But having him make the first move and chase you is also pretty awesome, right?
So you have a bit of a dilemma: Be too bold, and he might get scared; be too subtle, and he might not even catch on to the fact that you like him.
To help you strike the right balance between the two, you’ll naturally want to find out what he knows.
Or maybe you are just curious to discover what he already knows about your feelings.
Either way, this will help you figure out your next steps. So, without further ado, here are 8 signs that he knows you like him.
This may seem overly simplistic, but when a shy guy is into you, this will often be the earliest sign that he knows you like him.
Why is that?
It’s simple: this is the most noncommittal, risk-free way for him to get closer to you.
There are two reasons why a guy might choose this route.
The first one is that you piqued his curiosity. Without asking you out, but also without freezing you out, he is trying to find out more about you. To see what your deal is, and double-check that he “read” your feelings correctly.
This is reasonable, after all. He probably does not want to come at you with all guns blazing only to find out that you have no romantic interest in him and that he misread the situation.
The second reason is that he is simply too shy – or inexperienced – to simply ask you out. But he has definitely noticed you!
In both cases, this is good for you.
He knows you like him, and he is trying to get closer to you. You have clearly caught his interest.
If you want to know if a guy likes you, just look at how often he tries to get in touch with you.
This is almost common knowledge nowadays.
But what is easily missed is the reason why he started texting you more. If he does this – seemingly – out of the blue, what motivated him? Why this change, all of a sudden?
Well, to put it in simple terms, he might be gearing up to make a move.
And if you already have feelings for this guy, it is quite possible that he noticed you like him. Now that he knows where you stand, he is probably more confident. Bolstered by the knowledge that, in theory, you should welcome his advances.
Of course, he has got your number, he will probably try texting you. But there are many other ways he might interact with you if he knows that you like him.
He might “like” your publications on social networks like Facebook or Instagram. He might ask you for your Snapchat. Or just send you an email, a WhatsApp, or invite you to join his Discord server.
He will be able to do all that because he knows that you won’t be creeped out by it.
If you are not 100% comfortable talking with a guy on these social networks yet, you could do it through a secure messaging system instead.
Did you know that Vidamora has an instant messaging option available on its website? Give it a try, it is 100% free!
Have you ever looked at pictures of a cozy room with soft lighting, maybe a place to snuggle while it rains outside, and thought: “Oh, this looks comfy. I wouldn’t mind reading a book or two there”?
What about looking at a dark path in a forest, and just knowing that you would never even consider walking there?
In both cases, you are not spending hours – or even minutes – rationally examining the situation. We just know cozy places feel nice and dark forest trails are scary.
In these examples, your instinct does the thinking for you.
So, that gut feeling you have telling you that your crush knows you like him? That could very well be your intuition pointing to something real, even if you have no concrete evidence of it.
Your gut is doing the thinking for you.
That could happen for several reasons:
For the third point, this could be, for example, your crush joking about it: “Oh yeah, I know how you like tall guys.” It could also become apparent through his behavior, like a smirk when he catches you looking in his direction.
Or simply an awkward moment, like a pause when you look at each other mid-conversation and just laugh. That sort of things does not normally happen between friends.
If you look carefully, you may have already observed some signs of nervousness in your crush:
There are, of course, many more indicators that he might be nervous around you. But these are some common ones.
Granted, he might be a nervous guy in general. That would not be unusual.
What is noteworthy, however, is if you have noticed a recent change in his behavior. Especially if you were friends before, and your interactions were normal. If he suddenly looks nervous around you, what is different now?
He may very well have noticed you like him.
Now, even if you do the same things you have always done together, the stakes are higher. He may not want to disappoint you and is trying his absolute best to not let you change your mind about him.
Likewise, if he acts completely natural and comfortable around everyone else but you, you can bet he sees you as more than a friend.
If you are into this guy, you might be delighted that he started inviting you to do things together.
You might start to see his friends more and hang out as a group. And also, he might be inviting you to spend time just the two of you.
Both cases are reason to be sanguine about your prospects.
When your man-crush asks you to do group activities with his friends, he might be testing the waters. He has noticed you like him and wants to get you acquainted with his friends and lifestyle. If you are still into him after that, he might even ask you out directly.
And it is even more positive when he asks you to hang out one-on-one. Even if this is technically not a date, in most cases, it could be interpreted as one. This also puts less pressure on both of you since it is not officially “dating” yet. Just knowing you have feelings for him may have emboldened him.
And here is the best part: if he had no feelings for you, he would not create the opportunity for these “unofficial” dates. He would instead back off.
When a guy learns that you like him, this sign could actually go two ways, and both are positive.
So, even if he is not interested, he is still showing signs that he is a gentleman and a great friend. That is someone you cannot go wrong with if you decide to keep him around (even if it is not romantically).
But the more likely scenario is that he is interested in you.
By carefully avoiding the subject of the other women in his life, he is showing you that he is:
Another aspect of this is when he makes sure to let you know that he is single and open to a relationship.
That is akin to saying: “I know you like me, and I am available, so feel free to make a move.”
Up to you, then, to take him up on that offer.
Okay, so now you are pretty sure he knows you like him. You have made it abundantly clear through your actions and behavior, and there is no way he could have missed it.
Does that mean that he will start chasing you?
Not always.
Sure, a lot of guys will feel bolder and more audacious if they know you like them. But some men will prefer waiting it out, letting you come to them instead.
They do that specifically because they know you already like them.
What then, would be the rush to “seal the deal”, when there is the much less risky and stressful option to not do anything?
That guy is confident that you will either make a move towards him at some point or that he can take his time to make his move. After all, from what he has seen, you are probably going to like him tomorrow, and next week, and maybe next month too…
Here is a tip so you don’t get stuck in limbo forever: ask him out first. Give him a call and confirm that date you’ve been wanting to have with him.
If he already knows you like him, your secret is out anyways. Might as well use it to your advantage.
People are complex, and men are people.
Therefore, men are also complex creatures.
If a guy finds out that you like him he might feel delighted. Knowing that his advances will be more welcome, he might start flirting with you. Texting you aggressively and asking you to hang out.
But if another guy, with a different personality, were to find out the same information, he might instead back off and act distant and aloof.
The bottom line is that you will never be absolutely certain of how your crush feels.
Except in one situation.
Upon discovering that you like them, some guys will simply want to talk about it and have a chat with you.
They might use this opportunity to reveal that the feelings are mutual. That is the absolute best-case scenario for you. You now have the opportunity to date a confident man who is not looking to play games and keep you waiting forever.
If they ask you to wait or tell you that they are not feeling the same way “just now”, then it will be up to you to decide whether you can do that without suffering too much.
Finally, if they tell you that they are not interested, it will sting. But also, you will be able to move on and focus your energy on something else – and that includes on taking care of yourself. They are not keeping you around “just in case”, not trying to lead you on, and showing integrity and honesty (even if you will feel hurt at first).
In all three cases, if a guy tells you: “I know you like me, can we talk?” you should at least agree to have that conversation: You are most likely dealing with someone who is worth talking to.