dear michele

what do you say when the guy you like asks you who you like? do you say him? do you say no one?

–ahhh

Dear ahhhh,

This is one of the ancient mysteries! The greatest minds of all time have worked on this, trying to unearth the perfect answer to this question, the one that won’t leave you totally vulnerable, but at the same time gives the guy a hint that he’s the One.

And now the search is over. I present to you the Adviceopolis patented answer to the dangerous crush question, in easy to follow sample dialogue form. Feast your eyes on this:

Boy: So, um, who do you like?

Girl: What if I said it was you?

See how tricky that is? It turns the question around without being all “You tell me first,” AND on the off chance that he’s asking for his best friend, it spares you embarrassment. But it also gives him a cue to confess his feelings if he has them. It’s like an answer plus a reconnaissance mission all in one!

There is a downside, though: boys can be a bit slooooow and it might confuse him. But if that happens, you can always switch to being direct and say, “You. I like you.”

Or, you know, you could start with that.