This is an especially strong sign if he doesn’t tend to do the same thing with other people.
This isn’t to say that he’ll avoid you. In fact, he’ll probably go out of his way to be around you—he’ll just be really quiet (and maybe a little awkward).
This is particularly noticeable in group settings. If he looks off in the distance when some people talk, but looks at you and nods along when you speak up, he’s probably interested. If he ever spaces out when he talks to you or he seems to get lost when you speak for more than 5-10 seconds, he may not be into you.
They may tell you odd jokes or make a lot of confusing comments. You may even get the impression that they’re messing with you sometimes. If he’s just generally awkward around everybody, it’s likely that he’s just a bit of an oddball and he may not like you.
You might say, “Your hair looks really cute today,” “I really like your outfit,” or, “Has anyone ever told you that you look like Chris Pratt?” If he likes you, he will likely stammer, clam up, or get visibly embarrassed. He may also pay you back an awkward compliment of his own. If he isn’t crushing on you, he won’t have a strong reaction. He may just say, “Oh, thanks,” and keep moving.
This is also a sign that he wants to keep a good conversation going. In addition to questions about what you’ve been up to or what you like to do in your spare time, he may ask a lot of random questions. He may ask things like, “What does your name mean?” or, “What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?”
This is a natural reaction people have when they’re not calm, and a shy guy will definitely not be cool when they’re around someone they like. If he fidgets when he’s bored and you spot him fidgeting all the time when he’s in a boring class or a meeting, the fidgeting around you might not actually mean a whole lot.
You might ask him to help you carry something out of your car, or help you with your math homework. If he jumps at the opportunity, he’s definitely into you. If he agrees to help but doesn’t seem particularly excited about it, or he sort of sighs and says, “I guess,” he probably doesn’t have a crush on you.
Staring, and other types of body language, are one of the main ways people determine whether someone likes them or not. That may not happen when someone is shy. A shy guy may not have the confidence to try locking eyes, winking, brushing against you, etc. They’ll steal a stare here and there if they think they can get away with it, though!
You may even notice little gaps between messages. If they don’t reply right away and they take 15-60 seconds to think through their response, it means they really care what you think.
He may also remember details about your personal life. If he remembers that small town you grew up in, or he remembers you played volleyball growing up, he’s definitely thinking about you.
One friend may casually ask, “So, do you and James hang out a lot?” When you reply, they may follow up with something like, “Do you like hanging out with him?” or, “Oh, you two should hang out more often. James is a nice guy. ”
