24M Need outside perspective on a weird dynamic with a 23F close female friend.
We’ve known each other for years. Publicly she’s very reserved/modest, but around close friends she’s more playful and understands dirty humor/jokes easily. Over time there’s definitely been some flirt tension and she clearly knows I find her physically attractive.
At one point I made a pretty bold/flirty joke with obvious undertones. She didn’t get angry, didn’t directly shut it down, and didn’t distance herself either. But at the same time she also didn’t escalate things further.
The confusing part is she’s normally the kind of person who is very direct if she dislikes something or feels uncomfortable. That’s why I’m struggling to understand the middle-ground behavior.
My current theory is:
Maybe she enjoyed the attention/tension/validation a little, but also doesn’t want things to fully shift because we’re genuinely good friends and she has a more conservative public identity.
am I just overanalyzing the situation?