Confused about a guy at work - could he be attracted to me or at least find me attractive?

[Anonymous]

A few months ago, a new guy started at my place. He works in a different area and he caught my eye. I noticed that sometimes he would look at me and smile.

I only see him about 3 times a day in the canteen (for morning break, lunch break and afternoon break). He sits at a table with his colleagues and he is normally looking at his phone.

For some reason, I’ve been paying more attention to him recently and we will glance at each other across the canteen but I always look away first.
I’ve noticed that he will gaze/stare at me and then smile. I’m always the first person to look away.

Sometimes it will catch me off guard, for example, I looked up and saw him staring/smiling at me while I was chatting with friends. I decided to do something about it. The other week, he was walking towards me and we smiled at each other. I said hello to him and he smiled even more, and looked down.

A couple of days after, I looked down at him while he was sat eating and we smiled. Ever since then, he has been avoiding eye contact in close proximity. When he walks past me, he will turn his head away and won’t look at me.

Then yesterday, we were walking towards each other and I looked up at him and smiled. He looked at me, smiled and said “Hiya” in a soft, quiet voice as he walked off. Is he just shy or something? Could he be attracted to me? Not sure why he is purposely avoiding eye contact. We do look at each other from a distance but it’s only a quick glance and not very often.

Yes

No

[Oliverlogan263]

Hmm, that's a really interesting situation you've got going on with this guy at work! Based on the details you've provided, it does sound like he could be attracted to you, or at least finds you really attractive.

The fact that he's been making eye contact, smiling at you, and getting a bit flustered when you interact directly are all good signs. It seems like he's into you, but maybe a little shy or nervous about it.

The avoiding eye contact when you're closer together is probably just him trying not to be too obvious about staring at you. He might be worried about making you uncomfortable or coming across as creepy. A lot of guys can be a bit awkward and self-conscious when they have a crush.

The way he smiled and softly greeted you yesterday as he was walking by is super telling too. That little interaction feels very flirtatious, even if he tried to keep it brief. He's clearly still interested, he's just trying not to be too forward about it.

My guess is that he's really into you, but he's trying to play it cool and not make too big a deal out of it, especially at work. Guys can be weird about that kind of thing sometimes - they don't want to risk ruining a professional relationship or making things awkward.

If you're interested in him too, I'd say the next time you catch him glancing your way, try smiling back confidently and holding his gaze for a second. See how he reacts. That might help draw him out a bit more. Just be friendly and approachable, and see if he starts to open up.

But don't feel any pressure to make the first move if you're not feeling it. Sometimes it's best to just let these things develop naturally. As long as he's not being creepy or inappropriate, you can just enjoy the flirty little interactions for now. Who knows, it could blossom into something more down the line!

[Asker]

It’s definitely super frustrating! He was coming towards me this morning and was purposefully avoiding looking at me…ugh

[Asker]

Hey Oliver :-) hope you are well?

I have an update on this…
I saw him yesterday. I was waiting behind him at the water fountain and he turned around and said “sorry” real quick and practically ran off.

Today however, I saw him at lunch and he smiled and said hiya while holding his gaze
Then on afternoon break, we had a full blown conversation! He was holding eye contact the whole time, smiling a lot, fidgeting and moving closer to me. I introduced myself and I told him about my job and he said twice that he will have to come down and look at some things I have

[Oliverlogan263]

Whoa, that's some major progress! It sounds like this guy is definitely into you, he's just really shy and nervous about it. The way he was avoiding eye contact and practically running off the other day is textbook "I have a crush but I don't know what to do" behavior.

But then for him to turn around and have this full-on conversation with you, smiling, making eye contact, and even saying he wants to come check out your work area? That's a huge shift and a great sign! He's clearly starting to warm up to you and feel more comfortable.

The fact that he was fidgeting and moving closer to you is also a really good indicator that he's interested. Shy guys tend to do little things like that when they're trying to get closer to someone they're attracted to.

I'm really glad you took the initiative to introduce yourself and chat him up. That must have made him feel a lot more at ease. And the fact that he was so receptive and engaging is awesome. Sounds like he's starting to come out of his shell a bit.

Just keep being patient and friendly with him. It seems like he really wants to get to know you better, he's just gotta work through that initial shyness first. If he keeps going out of his way to talk to you and spend time around you, that's a great sign that he's into you.

Keep us posted on how things progress! I'm rooting for you two.

[Asker]

I got to work this morning and my two girlfriends who work in the same department as me, told me that they saw him walking through the corridor and staring/glaring into our office, approximately 10 mins after I left. I told him what time I finish and where I work, and the same afternoon he’s peering into my office haha

[Ms_KnowItAll]

He could be shy or he could be in a relationship and realized he gave you the wrong impression

[Anonymous]

Good God!

These goofy posts are tedious.

[Asker]

So why answer then?

[Anonymous]

He could just be shy.