Why is he suddenly so touchy feely?

I'll start by saying that I am the type of person who can't really tell if someone is interested in me until they actually say "hey, I am interested in you". With that said, I m starting to suspect that a friend has a crush on me, but I also don't want to assume too much.

So I work with this guy who went from being friendly, to joking with me constantly, and making fun of me. I initially wanted to hook him up with a friend, so when I finally had the opportunity to get them to hang out together (just a casual group of friends at a bar), my friend was convinced that he liked me. I assured her that wasn't the case, since he never seemed flirty to me. Now I'm not so sure.

Just recently he started referring to me occasionally as his "work wife", but he always said it jokingly so I never gave it that much weight, especially since his actions are always so platonic. Still, when out once again with my friends, a different friend claimed that he was just watching me the whole night, and I didn't even notice. I know that seems like a big sign, but I still wasn't convinced.

What finally made me think that maybe they are right is that he is suddenly touching me when he never did before. He laughs at something he or I said and then puts his arm around me, or squeezes my arm, or starts rubbing my shoulders. The other day he asked if I was stressed and started playfully massaging me. To me this feels out of nowhere, maybe because I'm not a touchy feel person. Then I thought, well maybe he just feels more comfortable around me now, and I'm jumping to conclusions.

We usually get along really well, but he sometimes is annoying, because he is kind of a know-it-all and a show off. I should also add that guys have often told me that I am intimidating, so they rarely approach me outright. I am not convinced we're a good fit, but I'm not totally against the possibility. He's is an attractive guy, and he knows it, so all of this sudden touching is definitely peeking my curiosity.

I have a lot of platonic male friends, and NONE of them are this touchy feely, so I am suspicious that he's testing the waters. Do you think I'm right? Or are any of you guys touchy feel with girls you are not interested in?

Why is he suddenly so touchy feely?
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