Why was he flirting so much?

Mel wrote:

There's a bloke that get's on my college bus. I've known him for
about 7 months and over this time we have become close friends.

Over the past few weeks we have become particularly close and everyone says he has been flirting with me. He is really shy and rarely tells anyone how he feels. he has been with me more and more recently and we are really close.

I really like him and want to be more than friends. One of my male friends asked the boy if he liked me while Iwas there with a lot of my friends and he said 'no'.

Was he just embarrassed or does he really like me?

After the friend asked him I spoke to the bloke on my own, about how I feel and I told him that Ireally liked him but he didn't say anything.

I am really confused and have to know how he feels. Why won't he tell me how he feels, even if he said he didn't like me it would make me feel better.

If he doesn't like me why was he flirting with me so much?

Dear Mel,

What is it about the word "shy" that you don't understand?

You know he's shy, so you sort out what YOU want through someone else - someone who may (who knows?) be teasing him about it, maybe in front of all the fellas, every day.

You KNOW he likes you, and yet you've risked friendship, let alone more than that.

Consider his feelings for just one moment.

Back off, let him breathe, let him know that you don't have a gun to his head - or a megaphone in your hand.

And start again - ONE TO ONE.