You have a colleague or guy friend who is displaying certain signs and you are wondering if he likes you but is playing it cool, or you are misreading the signs. 

Men often take their time before confessing their feelings because they fear rejection. So they want to assess how you feel about them before making it too obvious that they like you. 

Hopefully after reading these 22 signs, you will know if your suspicions are correct or not.

Table of Contents

• Signs he likes you but is playing it cool
• Signs he likes you but is playing it cool over text
• FAQ

Signs he likes you but is playing it cool

1. He always seems happy to see you

One of the subtle signs he likes you but is playing it cool is when the reaction on his face is always priceless when he sees you. His smile is so genuine and you can see that this person just wants to keep talking to you. 

2. He checks up on you often

When a guy is not into you, he will not check up on you often. He might not even save your contact details. But if he seems to contact you often, know that he likes you, even if he hasn’t confessed his feelings. 

3. He enjoys spending time with you

When a man likes you, he will spend a significant amount of time with you. He will always find an excuse to hang out with you. 

He even makes excuses to meet up with you outside of the working hours.

A guy who likes you will even begin to hang around your chillout spots so that he can see you often. 

Even if he does not come and sit next to you, if you go and sit next to him, you will notice that he is happy with your company.

4. He responds to your texts almost instantly

When a guy is always quick to respond to your texts, it is a texting sign he likes you. When a guy is not into you, he will take time to respond and might leave some of your texts hanging. But if this guy always seems happy to see your texts, it is a sign he likes you but is playing it cool. 

5. He always takes your calls or calls you back

When a man likes you, he will take all your calls. If you cannot get hold of him, he will call you back when he gets the chance. 

When you have to chase a guy, it may be a sign that he is not into you. Someone who loves you will always make your communication with him a priority. 

When you want a man to be serious about you, it is important not to leave more than two missed calls while he has not responded to the previous ones.

6. He teases you

Surprisingly, when a guy likes you he might tease you and even give you a not-so-sweet pet name.

According to Candy Mag, guys tease the girl they like because they want to be noticed. And they want to see her reaction before going into deep conversations. 

7. He seems happy to hear from you

A man who likes you will seem genuinely happy to hear from you when you call him. He enjoys hearing your voice and he is happy when you also notice him and give him attention. Even when you talk through text, you will see that he looks forward to your texts and appreciates them.

If you feel like your calls and texts are appreciated, it is a sign he likes you but is playing it cool.

8. He acts like he is not jealous

A guy who likes you but playing it cool will act like he is not bothered when he sees you entertaining other men, but his behavior will give it away. He might become moody, or a bit distant, or he might make silly comments, but those are signs he is jealous because he likes you. 

9. He sometimes reserves his comments and compliments

A guy who likes you will notice almost everything about you because he pays attention to you. And there are days when it will be hard for him to resist complimenting you, but there will also be days when he prefers using his eyes and not his mouth. 

He will also reserve some of his comments, i.e. if you are not dressed nicely he will not tell you because he likes you. He might not be honest with you, even if he sees that you were wrong.

If a guy does all these, it is some of the signs he likes you but is playing it cool. 

10. He views most of your posts on social media

When a man likes you, he will follow you on social media and he will constantly engage with you. When you post, he will be one of the first people to view, like, and post a comment. 

However, some men will not want you to see that they are following you or they might not want the general public to see their comments. So they might not engage much on your posts although they like you. But during a conversation, you will notice that they have seen your posts.

11. He is always available for you

When you call him you always find him. And when you want to meet up with him, he avails himself; he does not come up with excuses. If a man is always available for you, it is a good sign that he likes you but is hiding it. 

When a man is not into you, he will ignore you and tell you a lame excuse when he meets you.

12. He buys you a gift

When he buys you a gift for your birthday, you might wonder if he is just being friendly or it is a sign he likes you.

Know that guys don’t normally do not do thoughtful gestures for women they do not like. And if they didn’t buy a gift for your other friends then it is a sign he likes you but is playing it cool.

13. He shares intimate details of his life with you

He will open up to you about his life experiences including the deepest things that he normally does not share with his friends or other people. He will tell you about his upbringing, his family issues, his work environment, his past relationships, and even things that are confidential. 

When a man is comfortable opening up to you and being vulnerable around you, it is one of the signs he likes you but is playing it cool.

14. His friends or family know about you

When a man likes a woman, he will normally tell his friend first before he makes a move on her. If his friends already seem to know so much about you or he has already introduced you to them or his family members, it is a sign he likes you.

15. He is always available for you

When a guy likes you he will always make time for you. When you need him he will avail himself. Even when you need emotional, physical, or financial support he will offer it. 

Even if you’ve had a bad day at work, you know that you can confide in him.

16. He supports your hustle

If there is a project that you are doing or a product that you are selling, he will support you and even help you find more clients. He supports your dreams, and he encourages you to go on.

17. He complains when you ignore him

When a man likes you, he will complain when you are not giving him attention. He will complain when you do not pick up his calls or do not respond to his texts. If he thinks that you are angry at him, he will want to know so that he can make amends and get back into your good books. 

But note that a guy who is playing it cool might also pretend that he is not affected by the silence.

18. He remembers the small details

A man who likes you will be attentive to you. He will remember things that you said a while back like important dates or your preferences, your fears, and other things. 

Men are normally not great listeners, but if he remembers the finer details, it is a sign he likes you but is playing it cool.

19. He invites you to events

He will often ask you what your plans are for the evening or the weekend in advance. He will want to attend certain events with you or even take you out on dates without referencing that it is a date.

He might even invite you to attend some of his family events or even attend weddings and other functions as his plus one. If he is a church guy, he will invite you to come to his church. 

20. He accepts your invites

A guy who likes you but playing it cool might not initiate any invites, but when you invite him to your event or to attend an event with you he will gladly accept. He might even cancel other plans just so that he can go with you. 

21. He asks you questions about your personal life

When a man likes you, he will want to know you better. He will show interest in your personal life. He will want to know if you are in a relationship, about your family, your hobbies, aspirations, fears, your birthdate, etc. 

When a man goes beyond flirting with you to wanting to have a real conversation with you, it is a sure sign that he likes you.

22. He doesn’t send mixed signals

I know there is a popular belief that when a guy sends you mixed signals it means he likes you. According to Times of India, when a man gives you mixed signals it means he is not interested in you or wants to keep you as a backup. 

So if he likes you, even if he is trying to play it cool, he will not send you mixed signals.

Read more: Signs a male coworker likes you but is hiding it

Signs he likes you but is playing it cool over text

1. He often initiates conversations

When a guy is playing it cool over text, some days he will wait for you to initiate texting, although most days he will initiate the chats. 

2. He instantly responds or delay his responses

When he likes you but is playing it cool over text he might respond instantly to your texts or delay sending a response, but he will not ignore any of your texts.

3. He might use or avoid using flirty emoticons

If he uses flirty emojis or he avoids using flirty emojis but his texts are engaging, then it is signs he likes you but playing it cool over text.

Read more: 18 signs he likes you through text

FAQ

How do you tell if a guy genuinely likes you or is playing you?

• If a guy is playing you, he will not invest time in getting to know you, but if a guy genuinely likes you he will want to know you better.
• When a guy is playing you he will not chase you long enough, but when he genuinely likes you he will do everything to win you over.
• When a guy is playing you he will be inconsistent in his communication, but when he genuinely likes you he will talk to you almost daily.
• If a guy is playing you he will still be in a relationship with someone else but if he genuinely likes you he will leave all the other people for you.

Also take note of the 16 ways a man will behave if he genuinely likes you.

How do you tell if a man is attracted to you but hiding it

• He asks people about you
• He enjoys spending time with you
• His face lights up when he sees you 
• He responds to your texts almost instantly
• He is interested in your personal life
• His voice is live when talking to you
• He does thoughtful gestures for you
• When you need him he is always available for you
• He constantly stares at you
• His body language says it all

How do you tell if a guy is playing it cool?

When a guy is playing it cool, he might not initiate certain things, but his response will say it all. He might not contact you or visit you often, but when you reach out to him he will be genuinely happy. 

Sometimes he will try not to respond to your texts too fast, but he will respond within an hour. 

How do you know if a guy likes you but is hiding it?

1. He will compliment you often
2. He finds an excuse to talk to you
3. You keep bumping into him
4. He’ll respond to your texts almost instantly
5. He smiles when he sees you
6. He is interested in your personal life
7. His voice is live when talking to you
8. He does thoughtful gestures for you
9. When you need him he is always available for you
10. He constantly stares at you
11. His body language says it all

What does it mean when a guy is trying to play it cool?

When a guy is playing it cool it means he is intentionally behaving in a calm, controlled way, in order to appear not interested in the woman he really likes. 

So even if he tries to hide his feelings for you, his behavior and body language will give it away. 

How do you know if a guy is playing you?

• When a guy is playing you, he will not be available when you need him.
• He is inconsistent in his communication
• He leaves some of your texts hanging
• He does not pay attention to you, he’s forgotten many things you have told him about yourself
• He does not try to impress you
• He does not pick up your calls 
• He has a girlfriend but tells you he likes you
• He does not want to be seen in public with you