Do you have a male friend that you’re incredibly close to? Do you enjoy spending a lot of time together? Maybe you are starting to wonder whether his feelings for you are more than friendship?
You might be also interested in him, or the exact opposite – maybe you don’t want to lead him on, as he’s really not your type…
Whatever your motivation is with him, it can be tricky to tell whether hey likes you or not. Wouldn’t it be great if your male friend would just come forward and let you know honestly how he feels about you?
Fortunately, there are some simple ways to tell whether your male friend has feelings for you. These examples might not be perfect, but they are adorable signs he wants to be more than friends.
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1. He’s invested in your life
One of the most telling signs that your male friend likes you as more than just a friend is that he’s just interested in your life. He wants to hang out with you, he makes plans together, he remembers your birthday, he knows all the things that you like.
Usually, men tend to hang on to the details of those around them that they find attractive, so don’t act surprised if you’re male friend seems a lot more invested in you than he is in his other friends.
2. He wants to hang out often
Someone who likes you would naturally want to be around you often. He is probably looking for ways to share more experiences together, or he simply goes the extra mile for you.
It’s true that friendships are often the start to the most beautiful romances. So if you like him back, then you can definitely encourage more time spent together, and see where this goes.
3. He doesn’t talk about other girls in front of you
Another really telling sign that your male friend likes you is that he avoids talking about his dating life with you. It’s common to seek our friends in order to share with them about our relationships, about our crushes, about our unrequited love or bad experiences in love.
So, it can be quite intriguing if you’re best friend is being quite reserved or closed off about sharing how he feels about other girls. The really simple explanation is that he simply doesn’t want you to think that he’s interested in other girls.
He might not be ready to tell you how he feels about you yet, but he certainly wouldn’t want you thinking that he finds someone else attractive. Isn’t that adorable?
4. He’s protective of you
A guy who likes you will want to protect you – from bad experiences, bad guy and bad choices. Is he a little more protective? Does he make comments about your life decisions? You may be dealing with a friend who’s got a crush on you, and just can’t help himself!
Of course, don’t forget that as adorable as it may be, it can also become frustrating – remember it’s your life and your choices, and make sure the decisions you make are truly yours.
5. His body language is different
Are you wondering if your male friend is secretly in love with you? Body language is an intriguing area of study if you want to tell whether someone has feelings for you.
What are some of the body language signs that he likes you as more than just a friend? One example is that he’s really trying to make you laugh and he acts extra silly around you.
Another body language sign is that he doesn’t act his usual self when he is in your company, for example if he’s usually a shy kind of guy and he’s a lot chattier when you are there that could be a sign that he likes you and feels relaxed in your company. Or if he’s quite a chatty guy and suddenly a little bit stiff and closed off it might be that he’s feeling insecure about his feelings and doesn’t know how to act around you. Love makes a fool of most people!
6. He is honest with you
One of the most certain signs that your male friend is secretly in love with you is that he opens up to you about everything. Yes, he might be holding up sharing about his dating life or his ex’s, but in general he is a lot more comfortable sharing his thoughts and feelings with you than with anyone else.
If he often seeks your help or advice it means that he trusts you and values your opinion and support. Of course, these could be signs that you’re just his best friend, or it could be that he is secretly in love with you.
7. He texts you randomly
Is your male friend constantly texting you all of a sudden? The truth is no guy is going to waste their time constantly texting a woman that they aren’t interested in. That’s just unusual!
If your male friend doesn’t skip a day without sending you a text or liking one of your Instagram pictures, then he’s probably interested in you as more than a friend.
When we like someone and especially when we love someone, we want to tell them when something good happens to us and when something bad happens to us. If your friend is suddenly texting you out of nowhere about all sorts of things, sending you cute pictures, or using a lot of emojis, then he might be head over heels.
8. He likes all your social media posts
Speaking of social media, have you noticed how it’s only our closest girlfriends and our love interests that always like all of our pictures? To the extent that we would notice when they didn’t?
Is your friend suddenly liking all the stories that you post, commenting on your pictures, keeping track of what you post on Facebook? Of course, a comment or a like here and there isn’t a bad thing, but if he’s literally all over your social media accounts then that’s a sure sign that he likes you a little more than just a friend.
9. He goes out of his way for you
When we like somebody, we want them to seek our help, we want them to ask our advice and be open with us. Is your friend going out of his way for you? Is he offering to drive you to the airport or making himself available to come shopping with you?
It may even seem to you that he has nothing better to do with his day. If he’s ready to come and help you without the blink of an eye there is definitely no question when it comes to his loyalty to you.
10. The truth comes out when he’s drunk.
They say we are our most true selves when we’ve had a bit to drink. It’s true, the truth always seems to come out after a few drinks, it’s a gift and a curse! Is your friend out with his male friends and suddenly sending you ambiguous, flirty, honest text messages?
Is he using the opportunity that he’s feeling a little bit more brave to just reveal his true feelings for you?
A sure sign he likes you as more than just a friend is when he feels embarrassed or confused the day after, rather than just laughing it off.
11. He pays for stuff a lot
Is your male friend willing to pick up the cheque, especially if he didn’t use to do it a lot? It’s normal for friends to buy each other stuff or take turns to treat each other, however, if he is suddenly really keen to buy movie tickets for the two of you, or treat you to a concert ticket, or simply gets into the habit of getting your coffee often, then he’s definitely got feelings for you.
Come to think about it, why would he be spending his hard-earned cash on his friend all the time, when he could be spending it on someone that he fancies? Maybe… because it’s you that he fancies!
12. He compliments you a lot
Okay ladies hear me out here, there are two types of men that compliment women a lot – one of those types is not interested in your gender at all, and the other type is definitely interested in you, romantically.
Is your male friend complimenting you a lot recently? Are you wearing a new dress and he seems to be the first one to notice?
Someone who likes you will naturally have a lot of attention on you, even if you don’t notice it at first. If you male friends is taking the time to compliment you, notices when you change your hairstyle, makes giddy comments about your lipstick, then he’s definitely got his attention on you!
13. He asks about your dating life
Now this one is a tricky sign, because it is a double-edged sword for guys who might like you. If he’s interested in your dating life and trying to figure out who you like, who you might be seeing, or who’s been texting you, then he is certainly highly likely jealous of all the other guys that might be after you.
Have you noticed that he gets jealous when you’re talking to a potential date? Or perhaps you’ve just started dating someone and you are really excited about it – chances are when you share it with your friend, he will either go quiet or make negative comments about the other guy.
Perhaps your friend feels like he’s being friend-zoned, and he literally has no chance to get your attention? Make sure you are kind to him and spare him the juicy details if you are sure he likes you.
14. He’s more touchy than your other friends
When we have feelings for someone, we try our hardest to get close to them. This is not implying that your friend would ever try anything more aggressive or inappropriate with you, likely it’s a lot more playful and subtle.
He might hug you more often, or stroke your hand, or attempt to brush your hair out of your face. These small acts of adoration and attention are definite signs that he sees you as a love interest.
15. He treats you differently
Have you notice that your male friend treats you a little bit differently to how he treats his other female friends? If he’s not trying to get physically closer to any other girl, but he’s almost always around you then he certainly has feelings for you.
If he’s spending a lot of his free time in your company and not that bothered about making time for his other female or male friends, then he definitely doesn’t see you as a Platonic friend.
16. He listens to you
And actually, truly listens! He’s not distracted, or playing on his phone, he’s not mumbling the occasional “yeah” and “cool” when you’re telling him a story. Instead, he is truly there, he’s invested in the conversation, he listens to you, he remembers details, he asks questions, and he supports you.
How much time someone would spend simply listening to you and making time for you shows how they truly feel about you.
17. You just know he likes you
Sometimes you can just tell. Women are really good at sensing how people feel around them, they notice details and they often follow their gut instinct, that’s just in women’s nature.
So when it comes to someone’s feelings for you, simply follow your gut instinct. If something deep down is telling you that your male friend likes you as more than a friend, you are probably right.
Of course, the simplest thing would be to just ask him! But what if you don’t know how you feel about him? What if you value their friendship too much to be willing to jeopardise it for the potential of a romantic relationship? In this day and age, it can be harder to find a truly good friend that cares deeply for us, than it is to find a suitable partner.
Whether you decide to turn someone down politely, or you actually consider giving this go, make sure you tell him how important the friendship is to you. Be true to your feelings and whatever you do never start dating someone out of respect for their feelings, or out of pity. You would not be doing them a favour, or to yourself!
Men and women can certainly be just friends and remain only friends, but probably it will be hard if one of them has fallen for the other one. If you have a feeling that your male friend has a crush on you, and you’re not planning to respond to his feelings, then perhaps some distance between the two of you would be healthy for them, so they can process their feelings and find someone else to focus on.
On the other hand, some of the most beautiful relationships were once really strong friendships, so hopefully you can experience that too.