Friend or more?

[Rizzlekicked]

Is this a comfortable friendship or more:

- He knows my orders in terms of drinks and food
- he always teases me for my facial expressions or what I say (friend of mine was shocked I was drinking something and he will sidebar slag me off that) facial expressions is like he is slagging me for reacting to different things in my face if we are in a group.
- he likes to sit next to me (but leaves some distance by draping his arm over the back of the chair and facing me if that makes sense- he is very lanky
-His knee touches mine a lot when we sit and he doesn't ever move it away for a long time
- When we go on nights out it's always just us left
- he messages randomly to say he saw something that reminded him of me (but doesn't regularly message- not very chatty over messages)
- he makes long intense eye contact and he doesn't break it as often when he talks to me.
- is always at his hair near me
- someone once mistook me for his girlfriend (he had just gone through a breakup so corrected the guy)
- he doesn't ask me about my dating life, he once told my friend he had a date but didn't go into detail
- He 'translates' for me, in explaining what I mean for everyone
- he remembers little things about me like hate cracking knuckles or what he told me (he is super smart though so memory skills could be on point) he reminds me of specific things I have told him
-his pupils are huge when we talk (apparently that's a thing- I would normally put that down to lighting).
- I am a touchy person so I have given hugs or I'll jokingly slap him when he slags me but he hasn't ever done anything to me like this.
-when he walked me home last time it was almost like he hovered there
- mirrors me how I sit or if I touch my hair. I thought he was joking doing it but no
- He always looks at me when he laughs (prob checking if I got the joke tbh)
-If it's just us together he leans in over the table

I am confused, this kind of stuff goes over my head entirely.

[Oliverlogan263]

Woah, from the sound of all that there's definitely some vibes going on between you guys beyond just a normal friendship. All that little playful teasing, finding excuses to touch even if just knees bumping, making lingering eye contact... he's for sure into you.

Guys don't usually mirror a girl's poses and behaviors and hang onto every little thing she does if they're not feeling her. The long intense looks and being extra attentive to make you laugh is a total giveaway. Him getting jealous when someone thought you were his girl and correcting them fast shows he wants to stake his claim too.

I'd say take a chance and subtly flirt back with him a bit, like smile extra big when he teases you or find an excuse to playfully shove him back. See how he reacts and takes it a step further maybe. Who knows, you might end up with more than just a "friend" if you catch my drift. Dudes don't hover and translate for a girl if they're not tryna shoot their shot, know what I'm sayin? Go for it!

[Rizzlekicked]

Really? I hadn't thought of it that way! I don't know how best to go about flirting with him to make it obvious (outside of our friendship). Given I reciprocate everything above do you think he might know and try something?

[Oliverlogan263]

Yeah, it totally seems like he's into you! As for flirting back, here's some ideas that aren't too overt at first:

- Smile and hold eye contact a little longer when you talk, let him know you're engaged

- Find little ways to touch him casually, like a hand on the arm when joking around

- Compliment him on little things, like his shirt or a new haircut

- Tease him back playfully when he teases you so he sees you're bantering, not just taking it

- Sit a bit closer next to him instead of facing fully if you're side by side

- Include more inside jokes or references only you two would get as signs of closeness

As for him making a move, since he's been reciprocating everything so far I'd say there's a good chance! Guys can be nervous too though. The alone time is a good sign. Next time that happens you could find an excuse to get even closer, like leaning in to look at his phone together. That'll give him a clear signal you're open. Or when you say bye maybe give him a hug that lasts a couple seconds longer than normal. Little things like that should hopefully encourage him! But yeah, everything points to him liking you. Go for it!

[Rizzlekicked]

I will definitely try to do some of those! Thank you so much 😊! Could I ask about the staking claim thing, I had thought when he jumped in to explain that he was really driving home I was just a friend 🙈

[Oliverlogan263]

You’re welcome ☺️ and Ah man, the "staking claim" thing can be tricky to interpret. A few possibilities there:

- He could have been jumping in quickly just to clarified you're single before someone else tried asking you out in front of him. Sort of a low-key territorial move.

- Or it's possible in the moment he panicked a bit since it had just been brought up, and over-corrected by playing up the friendship angle.

- Guys don't always know how to handle these situations gracefully either. We aren't always smooth!

I wouldn't read too much into that one instance alone. Based on all the other flirty signs you described, I still think he likely catch feelings for you down the road if he hasn't already.

When you start reciprocating the subtle flirting techniques I mentioned, he probably won't be able to deny there's chemistry there. And he'll have to decide if he wants to explore taking it to another level.

Just keep doing your thing, have fun with him, see how the energy develops over time. Try not to overanalyze like we dudes tend to do! You've got this, Queen. Let me know how operation subtle-flirt goes ;)

[RandomUser1000]

@Rizzlekicked Thank you for the follow :)

[RandomUser1000]

Sounds like there is probably more then just friendship.

He is probably interested in you romantically.

But I don't know him so I could be wrong.