CRUSHES

Have you ever seen a movie where it’s obvious the lead is falling for someone, and everyone knows it except her? It may sound like the stuff of cheesy romance flicks, but this *does* happen in real life. You’re chilling with your friend, thinking nothing’s serious—and then he laughs or cracks the perfect joke and suddenly you’re head over heels. Here are some surefire signs you’ve got a crush…

You’re nervous around them
They ask you for a pen and you freeze like they just spoke a foreign language. Sound familiar? Warning: those butterflies in your stomach aren’t from too much caffeine. It’s normal to be awkward around people you’ve just met, but if the nerves stay, there might be something more to your feelings.

You try to spend more time with them
This can be quite the gray area if you’re already ‘just friends’. Of course you partner for the lab, walk home from school together, and text on the reg. You’re BFFs! But if you find yourself going out of your way to spend more time with your friend, and even wanting to spend more time with them than the rest of your squad, it’s time to consider if you see your friend as crush material.

You think about them...a lot
You look forward to whatever time the two of you spend together—be it a boring class or a stressful job—and if they’re not there you feel disappointed. Being concerned about people is natural. Thinking about them on loop is Love Sickness. Your friends might call you out if you’re going out of your way to bring someone up in every convo. "I can’t help it," you say. "They’re just so...dreamy?" If they’re on your mind all the time, you’re probably falling hard.

You feel the need to impress them
Maybe you dress to impress when you know you’re going to see them, or wear a little extra perfume. If you’re putting in extra effort to look good in front of someone in particular, ask yourself what you’re hoping to gain. Chances are, you want them to notice you as *more* than a friend. There’s nothing wrong with getting glam for a special someone, but make sure you’re not trying to change yourself for them.

You owe it to yourself to be honest about your feelings for people—even when they can be hard to decipher. If you do find yourself suddenly in love, check out one of our other articles on how to ask them out, plus perfect date inspo.

Have you ever been oblivious to a crush?

by Bailey Bujnosek | 10/19/2019