How To Tell If A Guy Likes You — Or If It's Your Best Friend He's After

Trying to figure out if a guy likes you can be exhausting. It doesn’t matter how young or old you are or how experienced you are with dating, trying to read a guy is like trying to take your bra off when you’re plastered: impossible.

I always hear men complaining about how hard it is to know what a woman wants, yet constantly change their mind on a daily basis.

If you ask me, men are just as complicated as women, but unlike women when asked what they want, men let their genitals do the talking, which only gets them into more trouble.

For all of us confident ladies out there, making the first move isn’t that big a deal, but having to wonder if it’s a waste of time is.

Let’s be honest, women might seem like they take more time deciding if a man is worth it or try to figure out what he wants, but if he doesn’t stop playing games, we can just as easily go back to living our lives without worrying about whether he likes us or not.

And for those of us who need our best friend to come with us and keep the conversation going if we clam up, it can be all too much to remember to breathe, speak in coherent sentences, and try to figure him out.

And we have ALL been in that situation. Maybe Friday night was supposed to be girls’ night, but after making “do me” eyes with a cute guy from across the bar, Friday night might just turn into a one-night stand (or something more).

But after going up to him with your best friend in tow, you can’t really tell if he’s actually into you or just making small talk until he can get closer to your BFF.

So to save you the trouble of having to read his mind, or worse, drunk texting him the next night and asking him if he’s into you at all, here is your girl’s guide on how to tell if a guy likes you, or if he’s just getting close to you so he can ask your best friend out.

1. He always has time for you when it’s a “group thing.”

One-on-one dates scare the sh*t out of him, but when you turn it into a group thing, you can call it whatever you want and he won’t care. Plus, he has a better chance of running into your BFF, too, without it being awkward or unplanned.

Remember the scene in Clueless when Alicia Silverstone’s character Cher tries to get the cute guy Elton to go for her friend Tai (aka Britney Murphy) before he tries to put the moves on Cher instead? And despite Tai trying to let him know that she likes him, he only has heart eyes for Cher? Yeah, in this situation, you’re Tai, your BFF is Cher, and he’s clueless.

2. He tells you he’s keeping his options open … over and over and over.

The guy who can’t commit to making plans won’t commit to anything; this is your chance to get out of it while you still can. If he constantly mentions that he’s just looking for something casual, or just wants to be friends, it’s only because he’s looking for someone better to come along — no matter how much of a catch you are.

Think of it this way: he says he doesn’t know what he wants to eat, but as soon as he sees McDonald’s golden arches, he’s devouring a big, juicy hamburger like he’s been waiting for it all day. Men commit, but only when it’s got nice buns and a lot of meat.

3. He hits you up when she ignores him. 

Yeah, yeah. He only wants your BFF’s number so the three of you can hang out sometime. But before you know it, it’s 2 a.m. and he’s texting her “you up?” hoping to get a little late-night action. Little does he know, though, but you’ve already confided in your best friend that you’re into him (because duh, that’s your BFF), so she isn’t going to indulge him just because he promises the two of you are “just friends.”

So, what does he do? He hits you up because it’s still 2 a.m. and well … he’s probably horny. 

4. He uses his “signature power move” that he thinks no one knows about.

We all know that move — the one where he walks up to your squad and starts talking to the girls he isn’t interested in, just to make the other girl (the one he actually likes) jealous and want to try harder to get his attention.

I’ll let you in on a little secret about this “power move” thing he’s doing: Chances are, he probably Googled “how to pick up chicks” five years ago and has used this move ever since.

So, don’t be fooled if you think you’ve got him wrapped around your finger by the end of the night; this is only the first of many awful phases he has to shove you aside and flirt with your BFF. The only thing is that he thinks this move still works, which just means if you don’t fall for it, some other girl will.

5. He treats you and your BFF like a package deal.

Remember the “group thing?” Yeah, this is just an extension of that. Try as you might to get him to go out with you for dinner, a movie, anything — he will always ask if your best friend will be there, too. But remember, he thinks he’s James Bond with the ladies, so he’ll try to do it sneakily so you don’t catch on.

This means suggesting bringing his best friend along to the date for your best friend, asking if he can come with you two on your late-night Target run for tampons and ice cream, and generally doing everything he can to make it apparent that he wants to get in your BFF’s pants.

So if you catch the kind of behavior from the guy you like, then drop his ass because all in all, it’s not worth it, honey.