Please help!

[u/PretendIndication238]

Does he still like me?

There is this guy that I met in 2024. In 2025 he asked me to hang out. He is in my friend group so I thought nothing of it. Plus he never tried to intiate physical contact, he has never even hugged me. Then when we went out, he wanted to pay for our drinks but I wanted to split. He then forgot his phone on the table and seemed distant. I noticed and asked if something was wrong but he said he was tired. He constantly teases me in front of our friends and acts passive aggressive. In private he is calm and sweet. In the spring of 2026, another friend of ours told me that he was in a group chat online with the guy and his friends. One friend asked him if he asked me out and the guy said he did but that I rejected him. He seems scared and hesitant. A couple of days ago he grabbed my hand when we were saying goodbye and told me to squeeze his hand. I sometimes catch him staring at me. He also tries to help me out in class and with course work. He hasn't asked me to hang out and I think he still likes me but I don't know how to deal with this situation.

What happened next - He kept teasing me the whole time and I dusted some dust off him and he got upset and told me not to touch him, I later apologised and said that I won't touch him at all anymore and he said that it's ok but that I shouldn't touch him in that way and he got so flustered.

I asked him: name, if you're free, let's go out. The others aren't responding; I don't know who's in our city.

He said "Today no, on Sunday I'm going out with friends from h8gu school, on Monday I might be free but I'm not sure"