10 Subtle Signs He Likes You but Is Hiding It

You’re sitting with your bestie, talking about that guy who’s been super confusing lately. Sometimes he acts like you’re the only person in the room. Other times? It’s like you don’t even exist!

Your bestie says “OMG, he totally likes you!” But you’re not so sure. I mean, if he likes you, why is he acting so strange about it?

No worries, I’ve got your back. In this blog, I’ll share 10 signs that prove he likes you but is hiding it. After reading this, you’ll catch those sneaky little hints right away. 😉

How to Know If a Guy Secretly Likes You? 10 Clues

1. You Catch Him Staring at You, But He Dodges. 

Both of you are at work, college, or hanging out with friends. You suddenly look up and catch him already looking at you. But the funny part is that as soon as your eyes meet, he looks away immediately.

You’ve noticed this happening quite often. But when you try to call him out on it, he acts like nothing happened! Why? Because he’s trying to hide his feelings by playing it cool.

When a guy likes you, he’ll naturally want to look at you more often.^[1] But if he’s trying to hide his feelings, he’ll quickly look away to avoid being “caught” showing interest.

2. His Friends Just Can’t Keep Quiet.

You know how we women are usually great at keeping our friend’s secrets? But guys’ friends? They’re the worst at it! They drop random comments, give knowing smiles, or tease you whenever you’re around. And even though he plays it cool, his friends definitely know something you don’t!

He might dismiss it by saying, “Don’t listen to them, they’re just messing around.” But come on, why would his friends randomly pick YOU to joke about?

The truth is, when he’s not busy playing it cool around you, he’s probably talking about you to his friends. That’s why they can’t help but drop these not-so-subtle hints.

In my pre-dating stage with my lover, Ankit, his friends would keep teasing me with his name. Ankit dodged it every time, and I believed that it was just a joke. Eventually, it turns out it wasn’t a joke after all😊.

3. He Enquires About You to Your Friends.

We only keep track of people who matter to us. So, when a guy notices your absence within hours (or even minutes!), it’s because he’s always subtly aware of your presence.

You might skip a day at work or college, miss a get-together, and he’ll casually ask your friends:
“I can’t see Maria today. Will she come late?”

See that tone? He chooses this indirect route of asking about you instead of messaging you directly. He’s trying to stay updated about you while keeping his feelings hidden. After all, directly asking you would make his interest too obvious.

4. He Suddenly Goes All Silent.

Can you recall any scenario when he saw you being friendly with some other guys? 

How did he react to it? Did he somehow become unavailable?

If he did, that’s because seeing you being friendly with someone else probably hurt him, but he couldn’t show it. He knew that showing his jealousy would reveal his feelings, so he chose to distance himself instead.

During these times, he might stop picking up calls, take ages to reply to texts, or even ignore you at work or college. He needs this time to deal with his disappointment and get his emotions back under control.

5. He’s Flirting Around But Always Looking at You.

Okay, this might be a little too bold, but possible. If he’s trying to hide his feelings but also wanting to see how you react, he might flirt with other girls when you’re around.

And the moment you look in his direction, you’ll catch him watching for your reaction! Why? Because he’s not really interested in those other girls. He’s trying to see if you show any signs of jealousy or discomfort.

If you react to his flirting with others, it gives him a clue about your feelings without having to risk showing his own. Sneaky, right?

I once had this scenario with Ankit and got upset with him. I kept my distance for a few days. Guess what? That’s exactly what made him finally stop playing games and actually make a move.

6. He’s Making Sweet Little Excuses to Spend More Time With You.

You know what’s super cute? When a guy tries SO hard to make up reasons to spend time with you! And trust me, they can get pretty creative with their excuses.

Need someone to help you carry those files? He volunteers.
Going to grab coffee? Oh wait, he needs one too!
Have to stay late at work? Suddenly he has “so much work” to finish.

These excuses might sound perfect in the moment. But later when you think about it, they don’t really make sense. Like, why would someone take a longer route home just because they “need to check out a shop” that happens to be on your way?

Sweetie, all of it is just because he likes you and your company, but doesn’t want to speak up.

In my case, Ankit would always find reasons to walk me to my bus stop after college. He gave me the excuse that he needed something from the stationery shop down that road. Funny how he never seemed to find a shop closer to his place. 😂

7. He’s Often Bumping Into You (Not So Accidentally!)

You casually mentioned visiting the library this weekend and completely forgot about telling him. But guess what? The moment you walk in, there he is! “What a coincidence to meet you here!”

And it doesn’t stop there. You happen to see him at the coffee shop you mentioned last week, at that new restaurant you told your friends about, or at the park you said you love visiting. Suddenly he’s everywhere you mentioned you’d be.

Look. Running into someone once or twice might be a coincidence. But when it keeps happening? That’s no accident!

But as he likes you, he remembers every little detail about your plans. He’s actually paying attention to all those casual mentions of where you’ll be and making sure he “happens” to be there too.

8. He Takes Note of Your Compliments. 

Let’s say he wears a black tee, and you say, “Oh, you’re looking very handsome in it!” He might give a little smile or nod casually to your compliment.

But in the following events, you see him making more appearances in black when you’re around. Wow, how playfully romantic, isn’t it?

While he might forget about other compliments, he remembers every little positive thing you’ve said about him. That’s because your opinion matters more than he’s willing to show. He might act cool about your compliments in the moment, but his actions afterward tell a different story.

It’s quite obvious that if he wasn’t actually interested, he wouldn’t have adjusted his choice based on your compliment. But as he likes you, he remembers everything that you like about him.

9. He’s Super Sweet Online, Super Shy Offline.

He’s super comfortable with you on social media platforms – actively engages with your posts, sends you cute reels, and whatnot. But when you’re face to face, he suddenly turns into this totally different person who barely makes eye contact!

Why? Because he feels safer showing his interest behind the screen. He can express himself freely without worrying about you catching those little signs that might give away his feelings. The phone screen becomes his comfort zone where he can be himself without getting nervous or tongue-tied.^[2]

He’s actually found a way to stay connected with his crush (you) while keeping his feelings hidden in person. Smart, isn’t it?

10. He Acts Like You Don’t Exist (But Actually…)

You know what’s interesting about a guy who likes you but is trying to hide it? He might actually start ignoring you, but in a very specific way.

At work, he might pretend to be super focused on his laptop when you walk by. In the cafeteria, he’ll take the longest route just to avoid passing your table. And in group settings, he’ll chat with everyone else but carefully avoids any direct interaction with you.

But here’s what gives him away: he still remembers tiny details about your conversations, his body language changes when you’re around, and his friends mention how often he talks about you.

He’s doing all this drama because he thinks that he can hide his feelings better by limiting interaction.

What If You’re Not Seeing All the Signs?

Feeling a bit confused after reading all these signs? Maybe you’re seeing some but not all of them, and you’re not sure what to make of it.

No worries, sweetie. I’ve made this quick tracker to help you figure out where you stand.

But Why is He Hiding His Feelings?

Now, you may be wondering “Why the hell is he going through all this trouble to hide feelings? Why doesn’t he just come out and say it?”

Well, it’s not that simple, girl. Here’s what might be going on in his head:

• He’s afraid of being rejected.
• He needs time to understand you better before making any bold move.
• He’s simply playing around and wants to see if you’ll chase him instead.
• If you’re already friends, he might be scared of ruining that relationship.
• He’s been hurt before, so he’s taking extra precautions this time.
• He wants to be sure about his feelings before expressing them.
• He’s waiting for the perfect moment when everything in his life is sorted.

What Should You Do Next?

If You Like Him Too ❤️	If You Don’t Feel the Same 💭
Drop more hints	Keep it casual and friendly
Create one-on-one moments	Maintain distance
Engage more with his social media	Don’t give mixed signals
Let his friends know you’re interested	Be clear with your boundaries
Give him signs that it’s okay to open up	If he confesses, be kind but honest
Give him thoughtful gifts	Don’t accept special favors or gifts
Ask for his help sometimes	Redirect his attention politely

Wrapping Up 

So now you know all those little signs that show he’s trying (and kind of failing) to hide his feelings. Guys can be super creative with their hiding techniques, but their actions always give them away.

Remember though, there’s no rush to figure everything out right away. Whether you’re seeing all these signs or just a few, take your time to understand the situation and let things unfold naturally.

Sometimes, the best stories start exactly like this! 😊

FAQs

References

1. Bowman, J. M., & Compton, B. L. (2022). Interpersonal oculesics: Eye-related signals of attraction, interest, and connection. In: Sternberg, R. J. & A. Kostić (Eds.), Nonverbal communication in close relationships (pp. 1–22). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94492-6_1
2. Marriott, T. C., & Buchanan, T. (2014). The true self online: Personality correlates of preference for self-expression online, and observer ratings of personality online and offline. Computers in Human Behavior, 32, 171–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.11.014