I’m in love with someone and I can’t tell if they like me back (repost)

[scenic flower]

I (16 M) am in love with a girl in the same grade as me. I’m a little bit younger than her, by a few months. I recently began to notice I had feelings for her and have been panicking a little bit. I have had feelings for her before about a year ago and asked her out then too. At first she said yes and we planned a date but later she said she wasn’t ready for a relationship. I respected her decision and moved on. I dated someone else for a while and she found someone too. We’re both single now and I’ve ended up finding myself falling in love with her. I normally wouldn’t use the word love but the fact that I’ve fought myself waking up in the morning clinging to a pillow and whispering her name makes me think otherwise. I would ask her out normally but I don’t know if she likes me too and don’t want to make things awkward. I just can’t tell if she’s flirting half the time. For example, we text all the time and play game pigeon together and I’d like to think that counts for something but I don’t really know how she interacts with her other friends. On top of that earlier today when we had our hands close to each others on the bus earlier today she pressed them together and tried to act like it was a high five but it was a little slow to be one. This is a repost because I’m just freaking out and really need some advice badly. Please help 🙏

[deft mesa]

she wants u bro

okay honestly tho, those are all really good signs and i feel like she wouldn’t do that if she still wasn’t genuinely ready for a relationship like she was a year ago. i think it’s sweet and mature of u to respect her wishes and are open to giving things a chance again !! i say u drop subtle hints that will allow her to do the same back yk, back and forth kinda thing. u don’t outwardly have to confess ur love to her or anything, take it slow and definitely see where that takes u :)

[scenic flower]

That’s actually some good advice, thanks. But how would I do that? Sorry if it sounds like a dumb question I’m just not good with flirting in general.

[deft mesa]

okok so there are manyyy ways to do this tbh

u probably already to this, but body language wise- give her gentle smiles while she’s talking and engage with what she’s saying. give her little compliments every once in a while, something casual but specific like- “ dude you have really pretty eyes.” also small gifts is the easiest way to drop hints as well

pick up something that reminds u of her or yk she’d like, that is the sweetest thang u can do as well

[scenic flower]

These are all actually some good tips. And lowkey I’ve been doing a few of them without thinking lol. Like I’m a big earbud person so I normally have my earbuds in 24/7, even when teachers are talking. But I always make sure to take both out when talking to her. That plus lots of smiling and eye contact between the both of us during like all of our conversations. I have some 3D printers so I think I might make something for her, hopefully she’ll like it. Thanks again for the advice, I was freaking out before but I feel a lot more calm now.

[deft mesa]

aww the fact that ur making it for her too, she’ll really appreciate that :) but ofc, i wish u all the best !

[pearl lynx]

pro tip: don't tell someone you love them as a way to confess, theres progression as far relationships

It usually goes: interested/crush -> like -> love

I guess things like "i love you" or "im in love with you" or "i've been in love with you" as a way to confess are usually just considered off the rip love bombing, dont recommend, not saying ur doing that I just had to drop in and say that

since u did say "ur in love" with someone and u dont know if they like u back haha

[scenic flower]

Yeah, I wouldn’t tell her I love her. Not yet anyways. I don’t want to scare her off or anything. I just wanted to have a stronger word to use here for what seems to be a very strong obsession for someone I’ve known for so long and really want to be with. It would be pretty dumb if I just walked up to her and said I love you haha 🤣

[scenic flower]

I just put the file on the printer. I remembered she likes sharks a lot and we both have very bad adhd so I’m making her this flexi shark fidget. It should be done in the morning. I can’t send photos here or else I’d send one of how it looks. I hope she likes it!!

[scenic flower]

I gave her the fidget earlier and she loved it!!! I handed it to her and she immediately started about making banana bread for me since I did something nice for her (I love banana bread btw). On top of that when my dad called me for a second and we paused our conversation, I caught her playing with it with a cute smile on her face!!!

[fading nymph]

Oh les goo, W man, imo u shld like, well if you were to ask her out, instead of just asking her to be ur gf instead ask for a date, it's easier for someone to accept and this way you can prepare and help ease into it yk?

[fading nymph]

Hol up u play dnd?

Nah Man U got ts