We have all experienced it… the butterflies in your stomach when you see him or her from across the room; the shortness of breath when you brush past your crush or stand close to him or her in the elevator; the increased heart rate when your arms lean against each other in the movie theater. These are all signals that you are falling for someone. Recognizing this is easy, but letting someone know your feelings is much more complicated. Here are a few ways to hint to your crush that you are developing feelings beyond friendship and to find out if they feel the same.

The Honest Approach
The easiest way is to take a deep breath and spill the beans to him or her directly. Just set a time where you can get your crush alone and tell him or her your true feelings and ask if they feel the same. You will be laying it all out on the line and possibly setting yourself up for immediate rejection, but it is the quickest way to get it all off your chest. This method takes a huge amount of self-esteem, however. If you are not a self-confidence superhero, perhaps a more subtle approach would be best.

Increase the Flirt Factor
A good way to feel out the possibility of a friend becoming more than a friend is to slowly become flirtier with the object of your affection. Smiling a lot, making lots of eye contact, an occasional wink and quick, private glances when in a social setting can give your crush subtle signs that you are giving them more attention than others. If you pay particular attention to your crush over other people it shows your crush that you have special feelings for him or her.

Get More Physical
Take any opportunity you can to reach out and touch your crush. No, I don’t mean invading their space and making them feel uncomfortable. Simple take opportunities to touch their arm or hand as you engage in conversation. Give your crush a hug when saying goodbye or greeting each other. Nudge them in a flirty way when joking with them and lean in close when they are telling you a story or secret. Increased physicial contact is a good way to drop hints that you would like to be closer to him or her, both relationship wise, and physically.

Be Plentiful With Your Compliments
Start complimenting your crush when they get a haircut or wear a nice outfit. This will not only make your crush feel better about themselves, but will also let them know you think they are attractive. Making comments like “you have such a great sense of humor” when your crush makes a joke or “you are so smart” when discussing an important issue is a good way to let your crush know you really like them.

No tactic is foolproof, and it may still require you flat out telling your crush your feelings if they don’t get the hint, but they could help you get a better sense of how your crush feels about you. With any of these tactics, it is important to read your crush’s responses. If they respond to your comments or actions by getting embarrassed or annoyed, chances are they don’t feel the same about you. If they respond to flirting with more flirting, it is a good sign they are crushing on you.