Does my close friend have feelings for me?

[Anonymous]

I've known my friend for a few years, and this year we’ve become much closer. She’s always been warm and friendly, but lately, I’ve been wondering if she might have deeper feelings for me. Some things stand out:

• She initiated a conversation with me at the bar and asked to exchange numbers.
• We often tease each other, and she laughs at almost everything I say, even when it’s not a joke.
• She somehow found out my birthday (I didn’t tell anyone in our new group) and helped me plan something when I said I don’t usually celebrate.
• She once joked at a work event, "Everyone will think you're my boyfriend," and we exchanged smiles across the room.
• Our hands “accidentally” touch nearly every time we’re together now, and she taps me to get my attention.
• We’ve had several moments where our legs touched, and she didn’t move away.
• We often leave the group just the two of us for short while, and she invited me to a volunteer event where we spent the whole day together.
• At a big event we co-hosted, someone asked if she was my girlfriend.
• During event prep, she playfully teased me, then rested her arms on mine while we worked on the guest list.
• I met her parents, and she invited me on a family camping trip (which I couldn’t attend).
• She asked me to sit next to her in front of her parents, using an excuse to be closer.
• We've fought a couple of times. Once, I made jokes that upset her, and she cried and cursed at me. Another time, I abruptly left dinner, and she texted many times, calling my silence "manipulative / effective".
• She apologized, she'd be "completely ruined" if something came between us.
• She asked to read a text from my phone when a girl’s name came up and playfully scrolled through my phone to find dating apps.
• When I considered moving across the country for work, she became quiet and sad. Days later saying "please tell me you're not moving away".
• When I asked why she didn’t want me to move, she only joked about me making her good cocktails.

[Bolt1104]

Based on everything you described, it really sounds like she has deeper feelings for you. Most of these behaviors go beyond casual friendship. Things like touching hands and legs and not pulling away, joking about being your boyfriend, inviting you to meet her parents, wanting you to sit next to her, getting emotional when there’s conflict, and reacting strongly to the idea of you moving away are all pretty strong signs of attachment.

The fact that she helped plan your birthday, wants one-on-one time, gets jealous around other girls, and said she’d be “completely ruined” if something came between you shows that this relationship matters to her on more than a surface level.

Her joking or deflecting when you ask direct questions may just be her being scared to admit her feelings first or worried about risking the friendship. Some people hide their emotions behind humor or excuses.

Nothing is 100% certain without her saying it, but the combination of physical closeness, emotional reactions, jealousy, effort, and wanting you involved with her family all point toward her having feelings for you.

[Bitter_Sweet94]

Based on everything you described, it really sounds like she has feelings for you or at least something much deeper than a normal friendship.

The way she initiates closeness, gets physically comfortable with you, brings you into her family circle, gets upset when there’s tension, and reacts strongly to the idea of you leaving, those aren’t casual signs.

That’s emotional investment.

The only confusing part is that she doesn’t say it outright.

She flirts, she gets jealous, she pulls closer, but when you ask directly, she hides it behind jokes.

That usually means the feelings are real, but she’s afraid of making them explicit.

So yes, she does seem to have feelings for you.

The real question is whether she’s ready to acknowledge them or prefers to keep things in that “almost something” stage.

[DreamCrescent]

ai-generated answer

[Bitter_Sweet94]

I’m speaking for myself.

That’s all. 😊

[Twodogs0525]

It pretty much sounds like you're a couple without the sex in the relationship.

[exitseven]

go for it.