I really like this girl but have no clue if she likes me!

[Prefix]

OK, so I'm a senior in high school. I've always been the real shy, socially-awkward type. I have a handful of "friends" and a lot of acquaintances.

I've been hanging out with this girl and a couple of her friends the past couple weeks. I really like this girl, have liked her for a couple years but haven't had the courage to really get to know her until this year. I find that when I'm around here, I'm really social and outgoing - which is the TOTAL opposite of "normal" me. I also find that she says she likes hanging out with me, and she hugs me and laughs at most of my jokes, etc.

But how do girls show interest? I'm worried that she thinks I'm not interested in her, because sometimes I'll randomly go from confident to shy in the middle of a conversation. So I always sorta have this "aloofness" about me. IDK, hard to describe. I really like her, she has such a funny and laid back personality and is, to me, very attractive. But what are little signs/cues girls give out that means they are interested in you?

I know people are going to say "Just ask her out", which is logical, but I don't think I'm at that stage yet. I'm barely coming out of my shell (socially) so I don't think I could handle that without looking like a fool. I will ask her out if I can pick up on "clues" that show she likes me though.

So, girls - what little things do you do when you like a guy? I would think lots of hugs/eye contact are signs of flirting, but from what I can tell she does these things to a decent amount of other male-friends of hers too. So I'm confused, and don't know what I should/shouldn't interpret as a sign of interest.

[Anonymous]

Well, when I like a guy, I do both, make a lot of eye contact and ignore him sometimes. When I do make eye contact, it will be a few seconds but I am always the first to look away. Usually if girls look away, or down it means they are showing interest and trying to find out if you like them too. When I'm not feeling confident that day (I know it's bad) I will ignore them, because I'm too scared to see rejection or disapproval. If a girl smiles at you, whenever she looks at you, it's a pretty good indicator. Also, I try to be more open with body language, no crossing arms, shoulders back etc. It's funny too, I get kind of jumpy around my crush, and more smiley, happy and some days more confident, so I look at him more. That's just me though, I don't know about other girls.

If you really like her, you could try asking a bunch of friends, including her to hang out, go to a movie, dinner, bowling, amusement park etc. This might make it easier to tell and to get closer to her. You could accidentally brush your hand against hers and then she'll wonder.

You could text her flirty messages (but don't go over the top or overdo it) or send Facebook wall posts or messages.

After you are pretty sure she likes you, you could ask her on a casual date, or an outing as friends like to Starbucks or something. Make sure you listen to what she says, and be interested in the conversation. Just gradually become closer and closer I guess.