u/InternationalWall697

I (M, late 20s) have a crush on a coworker (F, same age) whom I work closely with. We get along really well and tease each other a lot, but since it’s work, I try to stay fairly professional and reserved. I’m just wondering if I’m reading too much into her behavior.

Positive signs:

• She sometimes compliments me (new haircut, perfume)
• She gives me a nickname and we have inside jokes
• She gave me a personal, handwritten birthday card with my nickname, a heart around my name and ending with 'much love'
• She’s often a bit softer in tone or kinder toward me, while she can be more direct or businesslike with other coworkers.
• Since we are both looking for an apartment, she jokingly suggested: "Maybe we should just become roommates! Then we can go to work together every day." It felt like a very bold way to test the idea of us being together outside of a professional setting.

Point of doubt:

• She’s generally a pretty playful person and also compliments other coworkers or teases them.
• Bumble: We are both on Bumble. I’ve noticed her profile popping up several times. I’ve deliberately not swiped right (liked) yet because I’m afraid of making things awkward at work, which is why she keeps appearing in my stack. Interestingly, her location updates to our office distance exactly during work hours today. I’m 99% sure she must have seen my profile too.

My own part in this:

• I almost never return compliments because I want to stay professional and don’t want colleagues to catch on.
• Because of that, I’m afraid I come across as hard to read or show little interest.

My questions:

• Do you interpret this as potential interest or just a good work dynamic?
• Is it weird to suddenly suggest something outside of work now, when I’ve been pretty reserved up until now?
• How do you subtly let someone know you like them in a setting like this without making it awkward?