23 signs he has strong feelings for you but is scared

When you fall in love with someone, your eyes are drawn to everything about them. 

You love how they smell, the way their smile makes you feel, and the way their eyes light up when they see you. These signs of love get stronger every day. 

However, there are other signs that can signal strong feelings for someone but also show that the guy is scared. 

So what do you do when a guy is acting like he wants to be with you but is still scared? Here’s how to know if he has strong feelings for you or if he just wants to be friends.

1) He stares at you but looks away when you catch him

He’s trying to make eye contact with you, but he’s also afraid of being caught doing it. 

If he is staring at you but looks away when he catches you looking back at him, it’s a sign that he wants to be with you but is scared. 

He’s thinking about seeing you again and doesn’t want to get caught making plans. It’s okay for him to look away if he feels uncomfortable with the attention. 

Let him know that it is okay for him to look at you and that it doesn’t mean anything other than the fact that you enjoy his company.

2) He texts or calls constantly – and then it stops

You’ve noticed that he texts or calls you all the time, but he suddenly stops. When you talk to him about it, he tells you that it’s because he doesn’t want to come off as needy or clingy. 

He doesn’t want to appear too interested in you and thinks that texting and calling are too much.

It is okay for him to text or calls you while he is away from you. He may be afraid of how much attention he gives you and might not want to start something he’s unable to finish.

This is a clear-cut sign that he digs you, but he’s a little scared.

3) He says he wants to be with you, but there is always an excuse as to why he can’t

He says he wants to be with you, but there is always an excuse as to why he can’t. 

When you ask him why he can’t go out with you or do something, he tells you that it is because of something else. 

He doesn’t want to make plans because he doesn’t want to commit. 

It may seem like the excuses are just getting in the way of seeing each other, but the truth is that your guy has strong feelings for you and wants to be with you in every way possible. 

He just doesn’t know how to express it.

4) He is afraid of being vulnerable and letting you in

He is afraid of being vulnerable and letting you in. 

He doesn’t want to open up because he doesn’t want to get hurt. He loves spending time with you, but he doesn’t know how much you love him back. 

When he hears the words, “I love you,” he becomes scared that the relationship will end quickly. 

He might even think that if the relationship does end, it will be because he wasn’t good enough for you or didn’t say the right things.

You may have fallen in love with him and want him to feel the same way about you, but you need to let him know that you aren’t going anywhere.

You will be there for him when he is ready to open up and say those three words that he has been holding in for so long.

5) He doesn’t want to hurt your feelings

He doesn’t want to hurt your feelings. He may not want to say anything because he loves spending time with you and doesn’t want this feeling to go away. 

He might be afraid of how you will react if he tells you how he feels, so he bottles his emotions up and keeps them inside.

6) He acts differently when you’re around

When you’re around, he acts differently than when he’s not with you. 

When you are around him, he is more affectionate and talks to you more. However, when you are with a group, he becomes more cold and distant. He may not even text or call back as often as before.

He doesn’t know how to deal with his strong feelings for you because he doesn’t know how to deal with strong emotions in general. 

He is afraid that if he starts acting like a different person when you are together and then goes back to being normal when you’re are apart, it will make the relationship seem fake. 

7) He’s nervous around you

How is that possible?!

He’s nervous around you because he is afraid of saying the wrong thing.

He loves spending time with you and being affectionate, but he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable or do something that will make you not want to see him anymore. 

He thinks that if he says or does the wrong thing, it will ruin the relationship.

So, how do you deal with a guy who says I love you but doesn’t mean it? 

You just have to be patient and let him know that everything is okay. 

Let him know that no matter what happens between the two of you, your feelings for him will always be there. 

Show him that he doesn’t have to be scared of being vulnerable and that you will be there for him when he is ready.

8) He’s jealous

He’s jealous because he thinks that you are more attracted to other guys than he is. 

He doesn’t know how to handle his feelings of jealousy and insecurity. 

He might keep his feelings to himself and start acting cold towards you or even be mean. 

You need to let him know that you aren’t interested in any other guy, but that you love him and want to be with him forever.

9) His behavior changes erratically

This is a very tricky situation to deal with. 

You need to be patient and let him know that you are there for him no matter what he says or does. 

Be understanding and don’t get angry if he does the wrong thing. 

He needs to know that you are willing to give him time to work through his issues.

10) He’s been avoiding you

This is a situation that can be handled in many different ways. 

If he is still avoiding you, it might be because he doesn’t know how to deal with his strong feelings for you. 

He might not know how to show his love, so he just avoids it altogether.

He might also be avoiding you because he feels that there are more serious issues going on in his life, and the relationship will get in the way of those bigger problems. 

He might feel like if he continues to avoid you and be distant from you, eventually things will get better and he won’t need to deal with all of his issues anymore.

11) He’s being clingy

If he is being clingy, he might be trying to make sure that you don’t leave him. 

He might be afraid that if he says or does the wrong thing, you will leave him. 

He might be trying to get your attention so that you will stay with him. 

He might be trying to make you stay because he thinks that if he doesn’t have you around, he will lose all of his strength and confidence.

12) He values your advice more than that of his friends

If he values your opinion more than his friends’ it’s a good sign that he loves you. 

Men usually turn to their friends when they’re in need of sage advice so if he’s opting for your opinion and not his friends it’s a very good sign that he trusts you and is comfortable enough to confide in you.

He might also feel like his friends pass judgment and he’s afraid to look stupid in front of them.

13) He’s being too nice

If he is being too nice, it might mean that he is afraid of losing you. 

He might be afraid of hurting your feelings or scaring you away. 

He might be trying to show how much he cares about you by being extra sweet and kind.

14) He’s been acting strange lately

This could mean that there is something going on in his life that he doesn’t want to talk about. 

It could also mean that there are some problems at work or in his personal life that are causing him to act strangely. 

He might not want to talk about what the issues are, or maybe he feels like if you know what the problem is, you will leave him.

15) He’s been acting distant recently

If he has been acting distant lately, it could just be that he is busy. 

He might not have time to spend with you because he has been working a lot. 

Or maybe he doesn’t want to take the chance of getting hurt by getting close to you. 

He might also be trying to distance himself from you so that if something goes wrong, there aren’t any feelings between the two of you.

16) He is afraid of commitment

Commitmentphobe alert!

If your guy is afraid of commitment, he will be very reluctant to open up to you about his feelings for you or talk about what he wants in a relationship.

He might even tell you that he doesn’t want to get into a relationship with someone who is already in a couple. 

He wants to be single so that he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants. 

If this is the case, then it will take some time for him to open up and say those three wonderful words that every woman loves to hear: “I love you.”

17) He has low self-esteem and fears being loved

When men are insecure about themselves and their abilities, they will often become very needy and clingy with women. 

They may also become very dependent on their partners and may even feel that they will die if they lose them. 

If your guy is this way, it will be difficult for him to open up to you and talk about his feelings. 

He might even tell you that he doesn’t have the confidence or courage to do so. 

This is a major reason why he might not be able to talk about his feelings for you or talk about what he wants in a relationship.

18) He has never been in a relationship before

Men who have never been in a relationship before will often be very hesitant when it comes to opening up.

They might even be afraid of getting hurt if they get into a relationship too soon and then end up losing the woman they love. 

They might also tell you that they are not ready for a relationship, or that it is too early for them to get into one.

But the reality is, he’s never been in a relationship and he’s scared of the unknown.

If this is the case, it will be difficult for your guy to talk about his feelings for you or talk about what he wants in a relationship.

Reassure him and don’t put too much pressure on him. Give him the ability to figure things out and let him know that you’re not going anywhere.

19) He doesn’t know what he wants in a relationship

If your guy doesn’t know what he wants in a relationship, then it will be very difficult for him to open up and talk about his feelings for you or talk about what he wants in a relationship. 

He may even tell you that he doesn’t have any idea what he is looking for. It will take some time for him to figure out what he really wants from you and from his future partner.

20) He says he loves you, but it doesn’t feel like love

He says he loves you, but it doesn’t feel like love. 

He might say that he loves you and wants to spend the rest of his life with you, but then he disappears for days. 

You start to wonder if this is all just a game to him or if there is something else going on. Maybe your guy doesn’t want to commit because he thinks that loving someone means giving up all his freedoms and being tied down. 

This can be dangerous because one day, you will realize that your guy isn’t who they thought he was, and you will be left heartbroken.

You need to tell him that you aren’t going anywhere and that you love him. If he doesn’t want to commit, then let him go. 

You don’t want to be heartbroken over the guy who stole your heart and broke it into a million pieces.

21) He refuses to talk about his feelings

He refuses to talk about his feelings. He doesn’t want to tell you how he feels because he is afraid that you will run away. 

He might have a secret or two, but he doesn’t want to tell you what they are or what they mean. When he doesn’t talk about his feelings, it can be confusing and frustrating for you. 

If your guy doesn’t share the things that are going on in his life with you, it can make it difficult for him to trust someone else.

22) He has trust issues

Yep, the dreaded T-word.

He has trust issues. 

You might be the first person he has trusted in a long time and he doesn’t know how to handle that.

He might have been hurt and betrayed by someone in the past, so he is afraid to trust anyone else again. 

He doesn’t want to get hurt again, so he is very cautious and keeps things to himself. 

This can cause a lot of problems for you because you don’t know what is going on in his life or how he feels about you. 

It also makes it hard for him to open up and share his feelings with you.

23) He doesn’t define or label your relationship

He does not define your relationship. 

He may want to be with you, but he doesn’t want to commit. 

This means that he doesn’t want to make any decisions or plans for the future. He wants it all to be up to you. 

This can be a sign that he is afraid of being committed and that he may not want you in his life forever.

Conclusion

I hope that this article has helped you understand what is going on with your guy. 

I also hope that it has helped you figure out how to get your guy to open up and be more sensitive to you. 

If he doesn’t want to talk, then tell him that he needs to tell you what is going on in his life.

It might be scary for him, but if it helps him to open up, then it will make things much easier for both of you.