Not sure what those glances, smiles and looks from the girl you fancy might mean? Hoping you have a secret admirer? Follow these steps to find out if the girl you have your heart set on really likes you.
Be bold and initiate a short chat. This will help you to learn those little things that will come in handy later because everyone loves knowing that someone actually listened to them and cared enough to remember the small details about them. Listen carefully and be attentive to the things she tells you so that you will have them for future reference. As you talk, notice if she gives you any signs, special words or hints.
Watch for signs of flirting. If she's flirting, she may be difficult to read. Gregarious girls may flirt with guys who they consider to be just friends. Uninitiated, this general interaction can sometimes be misconstrued as a crush, so know how she acts around other guys.
Check for random hugs, reserved mostly for you. Hugs can be a very openly and permissible affectionate way of getting closer to you and touching you without it necessarily compromising her stealthy flirting. In turn, you can go along with it if you want, or just act busy like you're late for an appointment and need to rush off.
Take notice if she "accidentally" bumps into you more often than what you'd consider the usual. This ploy is ancient and tried and true, as it's a way of touching you subtly and sizing up how responsive (and perhaps even how well toned) you are. If she finds excuses to touch you a lot, then you're probably on the right track. Act casual when she bumps into you and say "no worries" or something similar. As for touching your arm and hair in a casual but rather meaningful way, there's really no need to say anything; just lap it up graciously.
Observe the way in which she looks at you. If she likes you, she will tend to either hold her gaze on you for a long time or pull away immediately the moment your eyes make contact with hers. Either of these responses could mean that she likes you. If she pulls away quickly, it often means she is nervous or not ready to reveal her true intentions yet, but she still likes you. And if she holds the stare, and you believe you see responsiveness or even love in her eyes, then she is confident and she may make the first move.
Look at her friends. If you see most of her friends glancing back at you and smiling or giggling, this probably means that she has told her friends about you and they're "in the know". This can happen at any age, although mature girls and women friends tend to behave in a slightly more circumspect way, using glances and knowing smiles or nods instead of giggles. In some cases, a friend may actually be bold enough to come and tell you that her friend likes you.
Look out for moments where you can play "rescuing the damsel in distress". If you're outside and the girl you like is nearby and starts loudly saying "I'm cold!", that's a subtle hint that she wants you to give her your sweater. This is a very sweet gesture, especially if you want to show the girl that you like her. And sometimes a girl will pretend to be really bad at doing something, and say that she can't do it. That is your chance to offer some assistance; be aware that she will most likely be doing this on purpose just to see your reaction and hope that you will help out.
Smile at her. Girls tend to like guys who smile, and are happy. Use your natural smile; you don't want to freak her out. If she smiles back politely, or frowns and looks away, she may be uncomfortable or disinterested. If she returns a soft or big smile and continues to look at you, then it's likely that she's interested. However she reacts, it cannot hurt to keep smiling her way. Eventually she'll get the message that you find her charming and she may feel able to open up more or at least to tell you openly that she's either interested or not.
Watch her body language. You can learn a lot about a girl by observing her body language and it goes well beyond obvious flirting signs into unconscious signals of attraction. There are a lot of signs that will tell you she's interested. For example, if a girl has her torso turned towards you in an open manner, this means that she is confident talking with you. If she has a closed body position, namely crossed arms or legs, she may be shy or nervous to talk to you or she may simply be creating a barrier to ward you off. Invest in a decent book on body language to help you learn how to accurately read her.
Notice the little things she does for you. If she's always there for you when you need help, even like when you mention that you're really thirsty and she quickly offers you a sip from her drink, she might like you. But don't assume that she's into you only from one experience. Ask her occasionally for small things, like chewing gum or a pen, and notice how she reacts. If she's always ready to offer you something you might need, go further and ask her to help you with something else, like a school, college or work problem. It shouldn't be something really easy to solve, but not too difficult either, as some girls might say that they don't know how to help you with a more challenging problem. If she's eager to help you, she probably likes you, although if you use this approach too much or choose tasks that seem too difficult, she may think you're lazy, testing her or even a bit of a nuisance. Don't overdo it; you don't want to risk her ceasing to like you.
If you decide that she does appear to like you, confirm it by having the courage to go and talk to her. Many girls feel too shy or nervous about what your reaction might be to start a conversation with romantic undertones. Even if she seems like the most confident girl you know, she may have had a bad experience in the past or simply not be ready to approach you yet but will be receptive if you start the conversation first. For more ideas, see How to ask a girl out.
Finally, but importantly, avoid over-analyzing her behavior. Doing so may result in your becoming obsessed with simply "winning her over", rather than getting to know her as a person. Rather than investing tons of time in determining whether or not she likes you, just take opportunities every now and then to spend time with her and her friends (not excessively though, or you may appear to have no social life of your own). Basically, get to know her as a person first and foremost and maybe things can go from there later––starting off as a friend gives you a chance to connect on a more real level. Just make sure to make your intentions relatively clear (via subtle flirting), or else you may become permanently "friend-zoned".
