Butterflies in your stomach, a smile that lasts all day, and imagining what he would think if he heard you saying the things you say and see you do the things you do, are all the signs that you like him. When you learn that he likes you, all these feelings are taken to a whole new level. But this is not always the case. There are times when you wouldn't have even realized that he exists, until he made his presence felt around you. That's what guys tend to do, try to get noticed and when they do, they vanish so that you miss them. Maybe this is my interpretation of their theory. Maybe they think differently. Guys explain it like this: 'We find it hard to express ourselves, and we don't know how to tell you we like you'. Therefore, they try to make it evident through their body language, and what they consider as 'signs'. Surprisingly, when people tell you 'all men are the same', you should know that they are probably not wrong. There is no rule book that tells men what to do to attract your attention. It is an instinct that comes naturally to them, and while some guys may have different interpretations of expressing themselves from the others, at the end of the day, there are some basics that will help you understand these signs that he is really into you.

• Suddenly, he's all around you.
  Even if he's not talking to you, he is in your vicinity, simply to be around you. He'll even come around and try to talk to your friends, to get friendly with them and find out a little about you. A guy also tends to talk to the friends of the girl he likes, to work his charm on them so that they coax you to give him a chance.
• He has finally broken the ice and you guys are on talking terms now.
  It is likely that he tries to hang around you as much as he can. He'll want to drop you home, to pick you up, to make plans with you, to suggest that he should accompany you on your errands, etc. Any chance to spend time with you will not be spared, unless he has something he considers very 'important' to do.
• He finds you very funny, even when others don't.
  While that is true of a lot of guys, there is this other lot that does not give in to these tactics. Instead, this lot of guys is honest, even at the risk of irritating or angering you. He'll tell you what about you is right, what could change; and not in a condescending manner, but in a genuine manner; not in a manner that will help him, but in one that will help you. When guys don't care, they don't bother about the way someone is. When they do, they go out of their way to make sure the girl they like is not doing or saying something silly or stupid. However, this does not mean that he may not find you funny at all. If you are genuinely funny, and you manage to elicit a genuine laugh from him, it is just going to heighten his feelings for you.
• You'll be the first person he'll call when he wants to do something.
  Just like he suggests that he should be around when you have to run an errand, he will call you to join him on his errands, just for your company. He may call you simply to talk to you, not because he wants something. This is his way of getting to know you better.
• If he likes you, he will be loyal to you.
  He will stop checking out other girls/women, he won't find anyone else attractive (or it may just stop at that), and even if his friends point out someone to him, he won't give in. If you notice this trait, you've struck gold! Obviously, he's really into you.
• He teases you.
  Once he gets to know you better, it is a very natural thing for him to make fun of you, in a way that even you find funny. You'll never know how they do it, but you are definitely going to enjoy this entire phase. If he is genuine, he'll never make fun of you to an extent that will hurt you, but simply enough to give you both a good laugh. No one understands why men do this, but apparently humor is a tool that they know how to use to attract a girl they like. Now a lot of you may assume that this a sign that he probably likes you just as a friend. Using only this sign to find out whether he likes you is slightly tricky, because if a guy is best friends with a girl, it is likely that he makes fun of her too. So you are going to have to look for more signs.
• Body language cannot be forgotten.
  A guy who likes you is bound to try to get close to you, but within the limits that have been set by you. He'll make an effort to stand next to you when in a group, to sit next to you when all of you go for a movie, and if he's the type who makes fun of you, it is likely that he gives you a light punch on your arm once in a while. As long as he does not invade your personal physical space, and his closeness isn't uncomfortable, it's okay for a guy to show his liking for you in this manner. Even if you don't like him, enjoy it while it lasts. Not every girl is chosen as the one guys want to shower all their affection and attention on.
• He will always protect your honor.
  If he hears something about you he thinks is wrong, or someone bad-mouthing you, he will go out of his way to defend you. "Wouldn't he do this for a friend too?" He probably would, but there is something different in the way a guy behaves when he is defending a girl he likes. Perhaps it is not easily noticeable, but it is definitely something he will do if he likes you.
• He will be nervous in your presence;
  unless he is a man who has complete control over his emotions, and does not allow his feelings to betray him. Even so, if a guy likes a girl, no matter how much he can control his emotions, something about his demeanor will give him away.
• He is suddenly super-observant.
  He can tell any difference in your behavior on a particular day, or how you look 'different' some day. If your mood is bad, sooner or later he will realize. When he does, he will make all sorts of attempts to find out what's wrong, or to help you out of the bad mood. He will compliment you if he thinks you look great on any given day. And you'll know for sure that he has a soft spot for you, when he calls you 'beautiful' and not 'hot' or 'sexy'.
• Jealousy will reign supreme.
  A guy will never have a problem when you're having a good time with your girlfriends. But, God forbid, if he sees you having a good conversation with another guy, he is going to seethe with rage. Maybe that was a little dramatic; the bottom line is, guys get very jealous when girls they like talk to other guys without reason.

If you still can't gage these signs and need to assure yourself that what you believe is true, ask your friends, or his friends (only if you are close enough to them) whether that is the case. Don't ask them if they 'think' he likes you, because they are bound to mess with your head, and interpret every sign as one that he likes you. Friends will try to do whatever they can to make you feel better, but you have to be careful, for your own sake, to make sure that what they say is not misinterpreted by you. The entire phase when a guy tries to express his liking for a girl, by means of all these signs is beautiful. They have you looking forward to each new day, thinking, "What is he going to do today? Does he like me? Does he not? Is he going to drop yet another hint? Maybe I'm just imagining things." He has you smiling all the time, and they only make you love yourself more. Even if you don't like the guy, you ought to feel flattered that he sees something in you that others don't. If you do, enjoy this phase to the fullest, as it doesn't provide the same thrill every time.