By now, you are probably pretty good at recognizing the distinct feeling that hits you when you develop a new crush. You know, like, the butterflies, increased heart rate, and anxiety that strikes whenever you’re in their general presence? Yeah. That. And, of course, you are certainly also quite familiar with the desire to know exactly what your crush is thinking–particularly of you–at all times.
(Related: How To Get Your BF To Tell You He Loves You)
The difficulty, you see, is that everyone is different, so the signs as to whether or not someone likes you will vary from person to person. (Some people express the fact that they like someone by talking to them nonstop; others express the same sentiment by refusing to speak to them at all. People are weird!) Still, there are some general overlapping behaviors that many people tend to exhibit when they have a crush on someone, so it’s worth seeing if your crush exhibits any of them, too. So, check out these signs that your crush is actually as into you as you’re into them:
They Make Excuses To Be In The Same Room As You
You know how, when you like someone, you’ll go out of your way to make sure that you end up in the same place at the same time? So, you’ll go to a party you might have skipped otherwise or join a club you weren’t really that interested in, just to get some extra time to hang out with them? If someone likes you, they’ll do the same for you. Of course, there is a difference between going out of your way to hang out with someone and just happening to have a similar social schedule as someone. But, if you always see your crush at a certain place and they tend to make a beeline for you when they notice you’re their? That’s a pretty good sign that they’re into you, too.
You Know That They Go Out Of Their Way To Make Time For You
In addition to always ending up in the same spot as you, if your crush appears to be going a little out of their way to hang out with you–like staying after school with you to kill time before you have soccer practice, even if they technically could have left right after the bell rang–this is a pretty good sign that they like you back. To be clear, you should not try to put your crush in difficult situations just to see how far they’ll go for you. This is a dangerous game! It’s unfair to place those kinds of expectations on someone and, even if they do like you, they might not like you as much if they realize that they’re being manipulated.
They Make A LOT Of Eye Contact
This is an old-school tip, but it works–if you notice a lot of eye contact from your crush, they’re probably into you. Are some people just really good at making eye contact? Certainly! But if you notice a lot of intense eye contact, plus any of the things on this list, this is a pretty good sign that they like you.
They Text You For No Particular Reason
This is another sorta-gimme, but it’s important to pay attention to. Basically, if someone starts to text you, and you didn’t really have a texting relationship before, they don’t really have a reason to text you; this could be a sign that they like you. Of course, this can be super annoying to deal with if you’re getting aimless “hey” texts without a clear intent or purpose. So, if you feel comfortable, try making your texts a little flirtier (not, like, outright sexting or anything. Just something cute!) and see how they respond.
They Ask Repeatedly About Your Relationship Status
Ever noticed that your crush tends to slide in a question about your dating life–whatever your dating life may or may not look like–in casual conversation? If so, they’re almost certainly interested in you in some way. Or, perhaps, they are just nosy. But, if you notice it a lot, you can probably take it as a sign that they want to make sure that you’re single before making a move.
They Talk About Their Own Relationship Status A Lot, Too
Or, if your crush isn’t comfortable asking about your current relationship status, they might start talking about how they’re faring, relationship-wise. Like, they’ll mention a big breakup they went through last year, or how they tried to date a certain person, but it didn’t exactly work out. This is done, generally, as a way to scope out how you react to what they have to say about dating and to see if you’re receptive to the idea of dating them (For the record: This particular component is to be negated if they’re constantly talking about how they aren’t single. This would most likely be done as a way of letting you know that they like you, but not like that.)
They Get Quiet And Awkward Around You
You know how sometimes you get all clammy and nervous around your crush, so much so that the thought of talking to them makes you want to throw up? So, you know, you don’t? Because you might throw upon them? It’s possible that your crush feels the same way, which means that the person in a room who appears to like you the least could actually like you the most. It’s confusing! The best way to figure it out? It’s easier said than done, of course, but try to get out there and talk to your crush. (You won’t throw up on them, I promise.) This way, you’ll be able to get a good sense of whether or not they’re into you–or, at the very least, they’ll start to realize that you’re pretty into them. And that’s a start!
What do you think of these signs? Did I forget any good ones? Let us know in the comment!
Dating Expert, Contributing Writer
Cathy is a dating site consultant and dating expert. I possess a strong passion for people, heart-felt facilitation, and provocative storytelling. I use my voice in writing, speech to provoke awareness and positive personal change.
