Looking for signs he’s pretending not to like you? Well, if the majority of the below signs resonate with his behavior, then you know he’s scared of how much he likes you.
So, you like this guy (okay, let’s not fool ourselves, you’re crazy about him), but he’s sending you mixed signals and you don’t really know what’s going on in his head.
One moment you think he has a secret crush on you, and the next you’re not quite sure he knows you exist. And that’s how you ended up here searching for signs he’s pretending not to like you, right?
Do Guys Pretend Not To Like You?
Yes, guys sometimes pretend not to like you. They try hard to convince you that they don’t care about you even though deep down inside they are crazy about you and their actions prove that as well.
They drive you crazy with all this pretending, making you wonder: Does he like me or what the hell? But, lucky for you, he can’t hide his body language signs and other revealing signals that show he totally likes you!
Learn all there is to know about his way of thinking and stay a step ahead of him at all times with THIS DATING & SEDUCTION GUIDE.
And, yes, there are many reasons why a guy might pretend not to like you (which we’ll also cover below, so stay tuned)!
How Do You Know If He Is Hiding His Feelings For You?
You know he’s hiding his feelings for you if he’s displaying positive body language signs around you, remembers everything you say, asking you LOTS of personal questions, always replying to your texts ASAP, or notices things you don’t expect anyone to notice.
There are lots of other signs that indicate he’s pretending not to like you and you’ll find them below.
To unlock your natural potential to win him over, USE THIS MANUAL, you won’t regret it, I promise.
Some signs a guy likes you but he’s trying not to show it are mysterious and the others are pretty obvious, but you probably haven’t been paying too much attention to them due to all that confusion.
(Honestly, who’s got time for overthinking and deciphering the enigma of a man’s brain).
To help you understand what’s really going on in his head, here is a list of clear signs he’s pretending not to like you, but the truth is he really does like you A LOT!
10 Clear Signs He’s Pretending Not To Like You
He’s always showing up where you are
You go to the mall and there he is, you go for a walk and there he is right behind you.
When this happened for the first time, you were convinced that it was a pure coincidence, but every time after that you started to suspect that maybe he’s creeping on you.
Or maybe he’s a ninja with a teleportation superpower, so he always manages to show up right where you are.
Whatever it is, all you need to know is that this is a good sign that he’s pretending not to like you! And do you know how I know? Because the exact same thing happened to my best friend.
The guy my friend was seeing for some time always sent her mixed signals. After some time, she noticed that he would always show up where she was.
After that, he finally found some courage and admitted that he liked her a lot but didn’t know how to tell her because he was really shy and was afraid of rejection.
Perhaps the same thing is happening to you, so keep your eyes wide open!
He displays positive body language signs around you
Positive body language signs are subtle signs he really likes you, so you can’t ignore this no matter how hard you try.
The signs include:
- Flat out staring
- Prolonged eye contact
- Leaning in when talking to you like he’s preparing to kiss you
- Pointing his feet toward you
- Straightening his posture to appear more masculine, and so on.
He exhibits all these signs on a subconscious level which means he cannot influence them.
When you’re talking to him, he can’t help but lean in to absorb your every word, to straighten his posture whenever he sees you – he’s not even aware he’s doing any of it.
So, that guy at the office, or coffee shop might pretend that he doesn’t like you with his words, but his body language will eventually reveal his true feelings for you!
See also: 17 Genuine Body Language Signs He Secretly Likes You
He’s a tease master
Teasing is often connected with immaturity, but the truth is that when a guy teases you, it means he’s totally smitten with you. It’s also one of the legit signs he’s pretending not to like you.
This one stems from a young age when boys tease girls at school and girls chase them to fight back and get their revenge.
This teasing instinct remains into adulthood, but the concept is a little different. As they get older, men usually tease with words only.
They try to embarrass you or they become stubborn not wanting to admit that you’re right about something, so they do things that annoy you.
I can totally relate to this one on a personal level as well because this happened to me recently.
When I was on a semi-date with a guy who likes me (he admitted it a few days before), he literally teased me all night long, doing childish things to make me feel embarrassed. (I even had to hit him a few times because he overdid it.)
Yup, when guys like someone, they turn into a tease master within seconds, so make sure to pay attention to this as well.
He asks you lots of personal questions
Driven by my personal experience and that of people close to me, I can say that there are two reasons why a guy would ask you a lot of personal questions.
It’s either one of the following:
a) He’s an emotional psychopath or a player and he wants to know every single detail about you and your past so that he can manipulate you.
b) He’s totally smitten with you and he genuinely wants to know you better.
If you’re sure that your guy doesn’t belong to the a) crew, then him asking personal questions is definitely one of the signs he’s pretending not to like you.
It’s evident that he wants to know everything about your love life, your previous romantic relationships, long distance relationships, or whatever-ship you were in.
He’s probably creating a profile of your personal life in his head and that’s why he needs all the info he can get to reveal your personality, character, and the things you like and dislike.
And sometimes, he might overdo it (just like the teasing guy I mentioned above).
He notices every detail about you
If a man notices every detail about you, it means he’s paying close attention to you. He observes your every move, he listens to your every word, and he notices every time you do something new with your appearance.
You know he notices every detail about you if he does some of the following things:
- Spends a lot of time complimenting you
- Remembers what you mentioned last week about both something important (or something totally irrelevant)
- Remembers every single detail about your personality, job, friends, family, and life in general.
This one is similar to asking lots of personal questions. He asks you lots of questions to get to know you better and he notices every detail about you because he can’t get enough of you.
He wants to memorize everything about you including those “trivial” things that are invisible to others but are a big deal for him.
When men are totally interested in someone, they can’t help but create a special file in their head where they’ll add every update and all the details regarding you and your life.
Their curiosity is what motivates them to do this.
He’s making real effort to impress you
If you’re wondering how to tell if a guy likes you, or if he just sees you as his good friend, you need to pay attention to his efforts!
If he’s making real effort to impress you in front of his good friends, coworkers and in pretty much every other situation, then you know he’s totally into you.
He can pretend all he wants, but a guy who likes you won’t be able to resist making a serious effort when it comes to impressing you.
He will make sure he always looks flawless from his head to toe, makes you laugh, astonishes you with his achievements and catches your attention whenever he can.
He will do all that because he wants you to notice him and to like him back. Why? Because he likes you as well!
If it weren’t so, he would never try hard to win your attention in the first place, so that’s how you know he’s totally and crazily into you!
RELATED: 16 Obvious Signs Your Male Friend Has Feelings For You
He’s making a real effort to make you jealous
This one is a total classic. When a guy is pretending that he doesn’t like you, he will not only make an effort to impress you, but to make you jealous as well! Why?
Because by making you jealous he’s trying to make you like him. Here are a few things he does to make you jealous:
- He flirts with others on social media and boasts to you about it (to make you realize that he’s a catch)
- He’s constantly posting new photos with other girls (who are maybe just his female friends)
- He always makes sure to mention his texting endeavors with an interesting girl he’s just met
- He constantly flirts with others in your vicinity.
He says that the two of you are just friends but he’s proactively trying to make you jealous all the time.
If he’s doing all that, he’s making a real effort to make you jealous for two reasons: to hide that he likes you and to make you like him. How witty and lame at the same time, right?
He gives you mixed signals
One day he maintains prolonged eye contact and texts you all day, and the next day he completely ignores you.
One day he even establishes subtle physical contact and the next he barely knows you. If he’s doing this, he’s definitely giving you mixed signals!
And when a guy is giving you mixed signals, it’s usually because he likes you A LOT but he’s struggling to find the right way to show you.
That’s why he sometimes chooses to shower you with affection and unique romantic gestures and then next, he completely vanishes into thin air.
Sometimes guys get scared of their feelings and that’s when mixed signals come in handy.
He doesn’t have to justify why he did a certain thing and whenever he feels like he showed too much affection, he simply erases it by ignoring your messages or by acting cold.
He will do all this even though deep down in his heart he knows he’s totally crazy about you. Men, right?
See also: 8 Most Common Mixed Signals Guys Send And Their Meaning
He always makes time for you
There are a million ways to show you that he likes you, but this is the most powerful one. If a man always makes time for you, you know that he’s totally into you.
After all, if he weren’t interested in you, he wouldn’t go out of his way to hang out with you and to be there for you when needed. This could be a phone call when you’re sick, encouraging you during tough times, and similar.
If he sometimes ignores his best friends to spend time with you, it’s not about him just being nice. It’s much more than that. He doesn’t want you for a booty call, but he wants to be in a serious relationship with you.
He always makes time for you because he genuinely cares no matter how much he pretends that he doesn’t.
When you ask him to help you with something, does he literally teleport to your place and start helping you with that particular problem?
When you tell him that you’re bored, does he suggest doing something fun together?
If yes, then you know he’ll always make time for you no matter what and there’s no need to question his intentions because his heart is in the right place.
He’s very responsive online, but reserved in person
Does your guy turn into a responsive machine online but when it comes to communicating in person, he simply shuts down?
He’s probably doing that because he doesn’t know how to behave in your company (because he likes you) and he wants to play it safe by making you think that you’re only good friends.
This happened to me recently. I met a new guy and we had great texting chemistry, but he had a hard time expressing himself in person.
So, I started wondering what happened and asking myself: Did I say something wrong?
I noticed that whatever I tried, he didn’t seem to reciprocate. He couldn’t maintain eye-contact and his sentences were ultra short.
And then I realized that he was a little bit shy and insecure in person, so he didn’t know how to express himself properly.
So, he decided to play it safe and just stay reserved and hope for the best. Well, maybe the same thing is happening to you!
8 Obvious Signs Your Ex Is Pretending To Be Over You
How do you know if your ex is pretending to be over you? Simple. If some or all of the following signs resonate with him, then you know he’s definitely pretending to be over you:
You’re still in contact with your ex-boyfriend
Usually, when two people go their separate ways, they don’t stay in contact with each other.
If your ex-boyfriend texts or calls you regularly, then this is one of the telltale signs he’s pretending to be over you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t bother staying in contact with you and he’d be focused on moving on.
When a guy wants to move on, the first thing he does is delete your number and remove you from all of his social networks. That’s how you know he’s serious about forgetting you.
He’s always around
Wherever you are, he’s there. Do you think this is a pure coincidence (or maybe not)? Obviously, he knows all the places where you’re usually at, so he’s trying hard to “accidentally” bump on you.
He can’t stop looking at you
When he “accidentally” bumps on you, do you have the feeling like he can’t stop staring at you? Whenever you “accidentally” look at him, his eyes are on you.
Trust me, if he wasn’t interested in you, he wouldn’t bother looking at you for a second. So, this is one of the biggest telltale signs he’s totally not over you.
He keeps making excuses to see you
Does he always need your help with something? Does he keep making excuses only to see you? If yes, there you go. He’s making a real effort to be in your vicinity because he obviously still has feelings for you and he secretly hopes that you’re on the same page.
He’s always there to help you
Regardless if it is your chores or a problem regarding your job, he’s always there to help you. He listens to you and focuses on finding a solution for all your problems.
By doing this, he’s investing his time in you and he’s making a real effort to SHOW you how much he STILL cares about you.
He stays in touch with your friends and family
One of the biggest giveaways that your ex still has feelings for you is him staying in touch with your family members, your friends, or mutual friends.
He stays in touch with them because he wants to be as close as possible to you. Also, when he decides to reunite with you, they will come in handy as your middlemen.
He tries to make you jealous and he’s acting jealous himself
Is he desperately trying to make you jealous by hanging out with other women, commenting on their photos, and similar? Does he show signs of jealousy when you talk to him about your male friends or when he sees you hanging out with your male colleagues?
Of course, you cannot know that he’s acting jealous if you aren’t in contact (or until his friends tell you that). But if you are in contact with him or his friends, and he acts like this, then there’s no need to question his feelings for you.
He drunk dials you
When a man is emotionally unavailable or when he’s pretending to be over you, he might drunk dial you only to admit his feelings.
Given that he doesn’t have the courage to do so in person or when he’s sober, his subconscious mind will force him to drunk dial you. And when he does, prepare to laugh A LOT and also prepare to overthink A LOT.
8 Reasons Why He’s Pretending Not To Like You
There are many reasons why a guy would pretend not to like you, and here is a list of the most common ones.
So, in case you’re interested in what is really going on in his head, here are some answers that might help you understand better and deal with the whole situation:
He’s insecure
One of the most common reasons why a guy would pretend that he doesn’t like you is because of his insecurity.
He doesn’t know how to approach you, what to say to you, let alone what to do when he’s with you. He’s afraid that he will mess things up with his words and actions.
His insecurity is forcing him to pretend that he doesn’t have feelings for you, to send you mixed signals, and to keep you wondering about what is really going on in his head.
Insecure men have a hard time expressing their feelings and they would rather pretend their whole life instead of acting on it.
Usually, they need just a little bit of reassurance from your side to feel comfortable about this whole liking you thing.
He feels unworthy of being with you
And sometimes guys are not insecure, but they don’t feel worthy of being with you. They think that they don’t deserve you because they have a low opinion of themselves – low self-confidence.
You are probably the most gorgeous human being on Earth in his eyes and that’s why he feels like he could never be worthy of being with someone like you.
For that reason, it’s easier for him to pretend that he doesn’t even like you than to risk being rejected by you or feeling like he’s not good enough for you.
Perhaps he’s been through a bad breakup recently that scarred him and now he’s become emotionally unavailable because he’s, let’s say, protecting his heart.
He’s afraid of getting hurt again and that’s why he acts reserved about you. Truth be told, it’s not easy for a lot of guys to open up emotionally to others.
Emotionally unavailable men will do anything to hide their feelings for you, even though you can tell from their eyes how much they like you and enjoy spending time with you.
Again, this happened to me as well.
There was this guy who was cheated on by his ex-girlfriend and we totally clicked. Even though we’d just met, most people thought we were together. Sadly, he refused to show any sign of affection toward me because he was afraid to open himself up and risk getting hurt again.
This is a real pain in the ass and if this is happening to you, you have my condolences. And if you’re wondering what I did regarding all this, I just stopped communicating and hanging out with him.
I gave him some space in the hope that one day he’ll come to his senses and become emotionally available.
See also: 5 Signs He’s Emotionally Unavailable (Don’t Even Bother To Date Him)
He’s a player
If you’ve ever met a player or, God forbid, have been in a relationship with one, then you know that all players have one thing in common – the need to control.
So, my dear, if your guy is a player he will pretend that he doesn’t like you, and he will pretend that he’s unavailable when you call him just because he wants to establish control and dominance. Pay close attention to such and similar red flags.
He knows that if he pretends that he doesn’t give a damn about you, you will be more interested because it’s in our nature to be drawn to those who ignore us (or pretend to ignore us).
If you think he might be a legit player, my humble relationship advice is to run from him as fast as you can! I always say that it’s better to be single than in a toxic relationship.
He’s immature
In life, you will meet two types of men: boys and real men. Boys are the ones who are still immature, who simply never grow up no matter their age.
And sometimes, that boy will decide to pretend he doesn’t like you because he wants to play an immature game out of boredom.
He probably wants to feed his boy-ish ego first and that’s why he’s decided to leave you wondering about how he really feels about you.
He thinks you have someone already
With the advent of social networks, it’s become really hard to tell for sure who is single or taken.
Some people don’t like exhibiting their status, so the only way to discover whether that person is single or taken is by observing their pictures and other clues that might tell you something about their current love life situation.
Perhaps he saw a picture of you with a good friend of yours and he’s assumed that you have someone already.
Or he’s assumed that for no reason other than because he’s convinced that such a powerful lady couldn’t possibly be single.
And that’s why he’s decided to stay reserved and hide his feelings for you. He’s decided to pretend that he doesn’t like you even though he’s dying to be with you.
He thinks he won’t be able to make you happy
When a man really likes you, the only thing that goes through his mind is his determination to make you happy.
This is the ultimate goal for every guy because if they can make you happy, it means they’re worthy of being with you.
And if he, for some reason, thinks that he won’t be able to make you happy, he might decide to hide his feelings for you and play it safe by not doing anything about it.
There are tons of reasons why a guy would think that, and sometimes they just need more time to sort their life out, or whatever they’re going through at the moment.
In the meantime, he will be scared to fall in love with you and that’s why he’ll pretend that he doesn’t like you.
He’s either shy or the ultimate coward
Sometimes guys pretend they don’t like you just because they don’t have the courage or don’t want to approach you first. They do this because they’re either shy or they simply expect you to make the first move.
If a guy isn’t shy, this is totally unfair and it’s the ultimate act of cowardice.
It means that he would rather wait an eternity for you to tell him how you feel, rather than do something about it on his own. As always, cowards make excuses, but real men make an effort!
Instead of chasing him or waiting on him (for too long) to make the first move, it’s time to go after what makes you feel good and healthy.
See also: If He Likes Me, Why Is He Still Online Dating? 9 Common Reasons
Final Thoughts
I hope you now understand more clearly the whole philosophy behind all these signs he’s pretending not to like you.
And I hope you’ll stay patient and that you’ll find the courage to give him some space (if needed) in order to realize and admit how much he actually likes you!
To summarize, I’ll finish with this amazing quote:
“It’s hard to pretend you love someone when you don’t, but it’s harder to pretend that you don’t love someone when you really do.” – Unknown
See also: 9 Insanely Stupid Things Guys Do When They Like You Too Much
