Dear Carol, 

I have a crush on this guy—and I think he knows. He is super shy, so he won’t ask me if it’s true. I also feel like our texting feed is only filled with chunky paragraphs from me and one-word answers from him. I’m about to spend two days hanging out with him and a bunch of other people. He’s the ideal guy because my mom approves and knows him and his family.

-I Think He Knows

Dear I Think He Knows,

Enjoy your days together, but try to step back a tiny bit—and maybe text less since he’s not replying with the same energy. If you keep spending time together, it should become more clear what he’s thinking, and I hope he has special feelings, too. But even so, take things slowly. And if he wants to stay in the friend zone? Try not to be too disappointed. Many boys aren’t ready for romance as early as girls are (especially shy boys). One more thing: Just because your mom approves of him doesn’t mean that everything will—or should—fall into place.

Carol Weston is the author of 16 books, including Girltalk, Speed of Life and Ava and Pip. Follow her on Insta @carolwestonnyc and visit carolweston.com.

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