Search Results: different ways to view relationships

Ok guys, I'll try to keep it brief although I feel I need to provide substaintial detail to get a good opinion.

I'm at uni, third year, this has been on my mind since mid-late first year. There is a girl on my course who simply began by getting the same bus on the way home (not just us, group of friends, pretty normal.) She would however stand with me a lot while the others sat down and tended to grab onto me whenever the bus shook. I don't mean like regaining balance, she would maintain that position for a bit even after the event. That didn't seem too weird and at the point I was currently in a relationship so I distanced myself from her. After I broke up with my now ex-girlfriend (long story for another party) we started talking a lot more again. She's been round my house where we watched some movies and I abstained from doing anything as I wasn't given any clear signals and I really didn't want to rush things. She's given me compliments like; "You know you're good looking, you shouldn't have a problem getting someone else." Followed with all the "you're a nice guy." Although those seem unimportant as any girl can tell you that with all sorts of different contexts. There was a time this year in year 2 uni when we were revising and she has bad pains and pulled her chair in front of mine after somebody pointed out I wasn't too bad at massages and asked me to give her one, once again, probably nothing however others offered her before hand and she firmly said no. Now, we have Skyped a few times and during uni we tend to interact with eachother nigh on every day. Her type of character seems to be outgoing and really friendly which probably gives some degree of understanding to her behaviour. She's also left pubs for a breather and had chats with me and I've walked her home a few times.

The reason for the question is because this year, we are lab partners and share every lecture together and I feel if anything was going to happen it'd be now. I feel I need to take the initiative but was wondering if she seemed interested to you.

I would prefer an abstract view too, possibly thinking of other people you know who might act this this purely in a friendly way.