He likes you. He’s just weak about it.
Staring, smiling, saying your name for no reason, teasing you in front of others, inventing excuses to talk to you, watching every story that interests. Not subtle interest. Obviously, teenage-boy-who scared of interest.
But here’s the part you’re missing: liking you doesn’t mean he’s capable of doing anything about it. He enjoys the attention loop. He gets validation from flirting in public without risking rejection in private. That’s why he hasn’t messaged you. Online is where rejection is recorded. In class, he can play it off as “joking” and keep his ego intact.
Your friends pushing him and him freezing tells you everything. When pressure hits, he disappears. That’s not confidence, that’s insecurity. Cute, maybe. Attractive? Only if you enjoy babysitting someone into making a move.
Why is it irritating? Because mixed signals are annoying when you’re not desperate. You can feel the interest, but there’s no follow-through. That creates tension without payoff.
If you do nothing, this continues exactly as it is. Smiles, comments, staring, zero action. If you want clarity, you either ignore the behavior completely and let it die, or you take control and say something simple like “Are you ever going to ask me out or are you just going to keep smiling at me?” That forces a decision.
