Getting mixed signals from longtime friend

I (25M) have a crush on my long time friend (27F). I caught feelings kind of quickly when we met back in 2012 but for the longest I had never said anything about it. A few years back in 2017, I told her about how I felt and she said that she didn't return the feelings and was put off at that time due to her own views/prior experiences with romantic relationships. Fast forward to 2019, and we stop talking to each other for a while (nothing really happened to cause it or anything, it just sort of happened), outside of saying happy birthday to one another, or the occasional messages in our group chat with friends we didn't directly talk to one another.

She randomly messaged me back in September, and ever since we started talking again on a near daily basis. I got her a present for her birthday, and since it had been at least 3 or 4 years since we'd seen each other, we just sat in my car and shot the shit for a while. She was being very touchy, patting and rubbing my back, play punches, etc. while we were talking at that moment. Kind of the opposite of how I remember her being in person (which granted was a l o n g while ago).

A few weeks later, we met up at a friends house and she was being very touchy again. She was sitting super close to me on the couch we were on, sort of leaning on me and making sure to re-adjust to the same position if either of us got up.

There are also messages that she's sent me that I can't tell if they're her flirting or not, but it's not really "in character" so to say for her (granted it had been a year and some change since I consistently spoken with her, things might've changed or something.) Like for instance she brought up that her job thinks I'm her boyfriend, she's made a few remarks about cuddling, and things like that.

I feel like I'm reading too far into things and idk if I should just ask her if her stance has changed or what on this.

Submitted January 07, 2022 at 02:15AM

I (25M) have a crush on my long time friend (27F). I caught feelings kind of quickly when we met back in 2012 but for the longest I had never said anything about it. A few years back in 2017, I told her about how I felt and she said that she didn't return the feelings and was put off at that time due to her own views/prior experiences with romantic relationships. Fast forward to 2019, and we stop talking to each other for a while (nothing really happened to cause it or anything, it just sort of happened), outside of saying happy birthday to one another, or the occasional messages in our group chat with friends we didn't directly talk to one another.She randomly messaged me back in September, and ever since we started talking again on a near daily basis. I got her a present for her birthday, and since it had been at least 3 or 4 years since we'd seen each other, we just sat in my car and shot the shit for a while. She was being very touchy, patting and rubbing my back, play punches, etc. while we were talking at that moment. Kind of the opposite of how I remember her being in person (which granted was a l o n g while ago).A few weeks later, we met up at a friends house and she was being very touchy again. She was sitting super close to me on the couch we were on, sort of leaning on me and making sure to re-adjust to the same position if either of us got up.There are also messages that she's sent me that I can't tell if they're her flirting or not, but it's not really "in character" so to say for her (granted it had been a year and some change since I consistently spoken with her, things might've changed or something.) Like for instance she brought up that her job thinks I'm her boyfriend, she's made a few remarks about cuddling, and things like that.I feel like I'm reading too far into things and idk if I should just ask her if her stance has changed or what on this.