Does he Like me (teenager)?

I’m 17, he’s 18.

We work together and for a while we did not talk as we are both shy and don’t really talk to anyone else in work either. We work one day a week on the same day as cleaners. About three weeks ago I spoke to him for the first time as the manager asked me to do a job together with him. Since then he has had the confidence to start a conversation with me each time.

He winks at me occasionally with a serious or even just a little smiling face as he walks past. I have caught him staring at me a few times too. He’s also getting teasing/playful with me, today he called me a few times to make me watch as he tried to throw tissue in the bin from afar and as I was hoovering he plugged it out on me to see if I would notice and laughed, things like that. He seems fine in joking with me when he speaks to me too. However later on today he became very serious and quiet as if he was completely uninterested, completely different from earlier. Maybe something happened but my mind was changed very quickly then.

What do you think? Is he just being friendly? With the winking and joking around and all that?

I wink at people girls and guys! Sometimes when you pass by the same people several times a day saying hi just seems weird lol A wink is a simple acknowledgement. Same as a nod, a smile, a hello.

He doesn’t seem shy to me, a little bit of a trickster (like me also) and just makes the work day a bit playful and fun.

Nothing he has done suggests he is either interested or disinterested.

It's impossible to tell at this point. Maybe he's like this to lots of people, maybe it's just you. There's literally no way to know with such a short amount of time even so much as speaking to each other. If he does like you, it'll become clearer in the future when you've had the time to interact with each other more and more. Also, his sudden change in demeanor could have had absolutely nothing to do with you. Maybe he had a rough day or, again, who knows. It doesn't matter. Just see how things play out in the future and hey, if you like him, then try flirting from time to time. Give him some kind of idea what you think about him because he could be wondering all the same things you are, especially if you're both shy natured.

Just keep in mind he's 18 and you're 17. He may want to stay platonic for now because of that.

It sounds like he's flirting but doesn't want to mess up his job and ask a coworker out.

The only way you will know is if he asks for your number or lunch.

I would not respond to someone winking at me.

Also, just because he is quiet doesn't mean anything has changed. No one owes it to anyone to "perform" or act a certain way.

People are allowed to be quiet - to concentrate or to be in their own head. I would not assume anything and don't act on anything. He just sounds like an awkward kid and you work together so you will have times of being quiet, being busy, etc. I would not be flirty - just talk about normal stuff you would talk about with coworkers.