Not sure if my (25F) supervisor (30M) is flirting or just being friendly

I started a new job about 3 months ago, and I think I'm happy there. My boss seems eager to give me more responsibilities and it falls to one of my supervisors to show me the ropes. He and I don't always work on the same shift, but when we do, he usually helps me learn new things.

When I first met him, I thought he was easy on the eyes, but from a conversation he was having with a coworker, I thought he must be married or at least in a relationship and have a kid. I don't know why I thought that, but it turns out I was very wrong.

Sometimes I get the vibe he may be flirting. People say you should trust your gut, but at the same time I'm worried that thinking he's into me is kind of self-centered. I'd like to list some moments that really stick out in my mind and I'd love to hear people's opinions on whether there may be something there or if I'm completely making it up.

• The most recent one and the one that prompted this post was when he was teaching me to use a finicky piece of equipment and he took my hand in his to guide my touch. I laughed about it when it happened, because it didn't register as something until later. We tend to brush hands a lot when we work together anyway, handing things to one another, that it didn't feel weird. Maybe he was just frustrated that I wasn't getting it and felt the need to intervene.
• Still on the subject of touch, he recently also touched me on the arm, fleetingly, while asking me a quick question and then walked away. He hadn't done something like that before, so that felt a bit off (not unwelcome, just out of the ordinary). Could be he's just being friendly.
• He asks me questions about my family, my likes and dislikes etc, but I think that's because I'm new and he's trying to get to know me. He also teases me a lot and some of his friends tell him not to, but, again, I think he's trying to get me to open up because I'm very reserved.
• They call me by my full first name at work, but he sometimes uses its shorter version, which is something my friends and family use. It seems to kind of slip out of him, like he doesn't mean to say it and he often corrects himself, which is weird since it isn't that big of a deal.
• He recently asked me more about my name and when my name day is (we celebrate name days as well as birthdays where I come from) and asked if I'd bring in sweets etc for everyone and when I said yes he said he's have that day off, so I'd owe him a treat or something. Don't know if that's a normal thing to say, to be honest.
• He always asks me if I'm okay when I look a little off or when I get weird costumers and generally looks out for me, but I think that's part of his job.
• When a costumer showered me with praise in front of my supervisor, he agreed. I've also heard from a mutual friend that he thinks well of me.
• He has offered to drive me home after work twice, because we live in the same part of town. He was probably just being kind, because he saw just standing outside work when most of our coworkers had left.
• Almost every time we work on the same shift, there are comments about how he's still single. Old ladies and a coworker his age constantly needle him about not being married yet. Recently, that coworker was telling him that by the time he finds the right woman and convinces her to marry him, she'll be old and grey. He protested at that, when he usually says that he's too young to get married. Obviously none of that is said for my benefit, but I still find it kind of weird.
• The way he smiles at me sometimes, like when we were alone in the stock room one time and when he saw me interact with a kid the other day, really make feel... some type of way. He could just be amused jus trying to put me at ease or something. Did I mention he's also great with kids? Yeah.

As I said, I'm worried I'm overthinking this and reading too much into gestures that don't have any romantic connotation behind them. Despite my 25 years, I don't have much experience when it comes to relationships and romantic stuff. Life has just been about academic achievements and friendships for me. People tend to think I'm intimidating, but I also look way younger than I actually am (most people say I look about 19), which is interesting.

I didn't start this job thinking something like this would ever happen to me. The idea of a "workplace romance" makes me feel weird. There's an obvious power imbalance between my supervisor and I when you take into account our positions, our age difference (5 years may not be much, but still) and our respective genders. The only reason I thought developing a "crush" on him would be harmless was because he was definitely unattainable (i.e. attractive, my senior, and not single).

Anyway, this is really throwing me off my game. Yesterday I went into work really angry with myself about this entire situation and I think it showed, because he asked if everything was okay. I really don't want this to become even more of a problem for me. Today was easier, because I somehow convinced myself this is entirely friendly. He seems to be something of a social butterfly, or at least widely liked and well-regarded (several of people have described him in glowing terms in my presence), and, from what I've heard, he gets a lot of attention from women.

I am begging you, kind souls, to give me you perspective on this and put me out of my misery one way or the other. I think he genuinely is being nice and friendly and nothing more, but the thought he may be flirting won't leave me alone either. I'm worried I may have been encouraging... whatever this is despite myself. For all I say about not having time for any of this, I find him hard to ignore. Please let me know what you think! Thank you in advance!

TL;DR Can't tell if my supervisor is being nice and treating me like everyone else or flirting with me. He's been getting more touchy-feely and is generally looking out for me. Have repeatedly heard him talk about the fact that he's single. This situation has really unsettled me and I don't know what to do with myself. Opinions welcome!

Submitted November 23, 2019 at 11:20PM

I started a new job about 3 months ago, and I think I'm happy there. My boss seems eager to give me more responsibilities and it falls to one of my supervisors to show me the ropes. He and I don't always work on the same shift, but when we do, he usually helps me learn new things.When I first met him, I thought he was easy on the eyes, but from a conversation he was having with a coworker, I thought he must be married or at least in a relationship and have a kid. I don't know why I thought that, but it turns out I was very wrong.Sometimes I get the vibe he may be flirting. People say you should trust your gut, but at the same time I'm worried that thinking he's into me is kind of self-centered. I'd like to list some moments that really stick out in my mind and I'd love to hear people's opinions on whether there may be something there or if I'm completely making it up.The most recent one and the one that prompted this post was when he was teaching me to use a finicky piece of equipment and he took my hand in his to guide my touch. I laughed about it when it happened, because it didn't register as something until later. We tend to brush hands a lot when we work together anyway, handing things to one another, that it didn't feel weird. Maybe he was just frustrated that I wasn't getting it and felt the need to intervene.Still on the subject of touch, he recently also touched me on the arm, fleetingly, while asking me a quick question and then walked away. He hadn't done something like that before, so that felt a bit off (not unwelcome, just out of the ordinary). Could be he's just being friendly.He asks me questions about my family, my likes and dislikes etc, but I think that's because I'm new and he's trying to get to know me. He also teases me a lot and some of his friends tell him not to, but, again, I think he's trying to get me to open up because I'm very reserved.They call me by my full first name at work, but he sometimes uses its shorter version, which is something my friends and family use. It seems to kind of slip out of him, like he doesn't mean to say it and he often corrects himself, which is weird since it isn't that big of a deal.He recently asked me more about my name and when my name day is (we celebrate name days as well as birthdays where I come from) and asked if I'd bring in sweets etc for everyone and when I said yes he said he's have that day off, so I'd owe him a treat or something. Don't know if that's a normal thing to say, to be honest.He always asks me if I'm okay when I look a little off or when I get weird costumers and generally looks out for me, but I think that's part of his job.When a costumer showered me with praise in front of my supervisor, he agreed. I've also heard from a mutual friend that he thinks well of me.He has offered to drive me home after work twice, because we live in the same part of town. He was probably just being kind, because he saw just standing outside work when most of our coworkers had left.Almost every time we work on the same shift, there are comments about how he's still single. Old ladies and a coworker his age constantly needle him about not being married yet. Recently, that coworker was telling him that by the time he finds the right woman and convinces her to marry him, she'll be old and grey. He protested at that, when he usually says that he's too young to get married. Obviously none of that is said for my benefit, but I still find it kind of weird.The way he smiles at me sometimes, like when we were alone in the stock room one time and when he saw me interact with a kid the other day, really make feel... some type of way. He could just be amused jus trying to put me at ease or something. Did I mention he's also great with kids? Yeah.As I said, I'm worried I'm overthinking this and reading too much into gestures that don't have any romantic connotation behind them. Despite my 25 years, I don't have much experience when it comes to relationships and romantic stuff. Life has just been about academic achievements and friendships for me. People tend to think I'm intimidating, but I also look way younger than I actually am (most people say I look about 19), which is interesting.I didn't start this job thinking something like this would ever happen to me. The idea of a "workplace romance" makes me feel weird. There's an obvious power imbalance between my supervisor and I when you take into account our positions, our age difference (5 years may not be much, but still) and our respective genders. The only reason I thought developing a "crush" on him would be harmless was because he was definitely unattainable (i.e. attractive, my senior, and not single).Anyway, this is really throwing me off my game. Yesterday I went into work really angry with myself about this entire situation and I think it showed, because he asked if everything was okay. I really don't want this to become even more of a problem for me. Today was easier, because I somehow convinced myself this is entirely friendly. He seems to be something of a social butterfly, or at least widely liked and well-regarded (several of people have described him in glowing terms in my presence), and, from what I've heard, he gets a lot of attention from women.I am begging you, kind souls, to give me you perspective on this and put me out of my misery one way or the other. I think he genuinely is being nice and friendly and nothing more, but the thought he may be flirting won't leave me alone either. I'm worried I may have been encouraging... whatever this is despite myself. For all I say about not having time for any of this, I find him hard to ignore. Please let me know what you think! Thank you in advance!TL;DR Can't tell if my supervisor is being nice and treating me like everyone else or flirting with me. He's been getting more touchy-feely and is generally looking out for me. Have repeatedly heard him talk about the fact that he's single. This situation has really unsettled me and I don't know what to do with myself. Opinions welcome!