Search Results: showing interest in a guy

Even on apps like Instagram I find this as well, I just don’t get it, they’re almost like clone messsges same messages different accounts, same crude sexual uninteresting pointless weird, creepy messages, (obviously not showing the creepy ones just all the heys and hi’s) are they that desperate for female company or that sexually deprived? This is honestly a genuine question because I don’t get it, I’ve never once wanted to reach out and speak to someone online UNLESS I actually have interest in that person and feel like I would connect with them from seeing their answers or we actually have something in common, but it’s obvious that this is just “trying their luck” and messaging any female accounts they can? Why do people even want to do that? Honestly just don’t get it lol you don’t even know who is behind the screen so it’s beyond me what they get out of this. I’ve noticed it’s usually accounts following loads of females, no display pictures and use the site as some sort of sex site only.. (heck I wouldn’t even mind as much if the people saw me and thought hey we’d click I’ll message her type thing lol, but it’s very obvious that isn’t case)

I've been debating this for a while, and I wondered if maybe seeing the opinions of others would help me make a decision. I've been quarantining with a small group of friends since the virus shut everything down, and one of them I've taken... quite the liking to. We haven't hung out much, but every time the group gets together we seem to talk to each other the most. I want to make a move, and I am DEFINITELY going to. I'm just wondering if I should make it now, or wait until we've spent some more time together to ask for one-on-one time.

To add some detail:
I don't even have his phone number, snapchat, anything. The only way I have to contact him privately is his discord, since we share a friend server. Half the time it's hard to tell if he's interested or just funny/nice, and because of this combination of things I'm a little bit unsure if it's too early to make a move. When we hang out, we joke around and tease each other a lot, but as far as I can tell he doesn't treat me that much differently from any of the other guys in the group (one of which has a girlfriend). I know he loves cooking, and I've been considering asking him if he would be okay with showing me how to prepare some dishes, since that seems like a fun first date/way to get to know each other. But I wonder if it's too intimate/weird to ask someone I haven't spent much alone time with? What do you guys think?

(Bonus question-- should I ask him over discord or IRL? Asking him irl makes me nervous considering it would probably be in front of our other friends, but it IS usually considered the better choice...)

so i’ll start from the beginning. this guy used to date one girl i knew. i met him because of that. but last year i ended a long relationship i had, and when she found out my ex was single, she flirted with him. it hurted me but i carried on with my life. anyways, a while ago, this guy she used to date started talking to me. at first i was kinda wondering why was he talking to me, but anyways, we talked like a lot. he told me a lot of things about his life, what he will study, etc. i was kinda liking him until one night like at 1 am he tells me that he liked talking to me and that i was interesting to him. i said the same about him. he told me he was going to sleep and wishes me a good night. he’s 18 years old by the way, and i’ll turn 18 next month. so, next day he didn't start the conversation. maybe it was because he read my texts before going to sleep. i waited a day and decided to answer to his instagram story that it was multiple photos of puppies, telling his followers that he was sad bc he couldn’t keep them. i answered with a good vibe text, like “they’re going to get adopted by a loving family” and more stuff showing support. so he read them but didn't answer. he has been online sometimes after that, it just doesn’t fit for me that he said a thing one day and then he does this. at first i was scared that his ex manipulated him when somehow she found out he was talking to me, but i don’t believe that honestly. i dont know if i should try again in a few weeks or what. pls could you give me some advice?