I (24f) recently moved back to my hometown. My brother (21M)has been hosting small get together outside with some friends to have cookouts or watch games. The other day I went to the gym at the same time he goes and I met his friend (22M) for the first time. He is very cute and seems very nice and I could tell he was nervous. We haven’t said hi to each other and I don’t think he will. The few times I’ve seen them at the gym, I mainly talk to my brother but very little so I can give them distance and not bother. My brother wants the space especially when he’s with friends. The other time his friend and I passed right by each other at the gym and when I was close enough, he pretended to scratch his nose by covering his eyes. I guess to avoid looking at me. Maybe this is a good sign that he got nervous? Lol.

Anyways, im a massive fan of the anime Berserk and sometimes I wear that shirt to the gym and I also have a keychain. My brother uses my car often and his friend has been inside my car too. The other day my brother mentioned berserk and I got excited and asked who told him about it. He said his friend did and I blushed and smiled. My brother then asked “what? Do you think my friend is cute?” I ignored the question, didn’t respond. My crush deepened because he’s a fan as well. I wonder if the friend did this on purpose or maybe I’m exaggerating.

I don’t know if I’ll ever tell my brother I think his friend is cute. I’d like some advice on this. I did think about smiling at him at the gym but I haven’t. My mom said it’s better to act uninterested, which I get. Also, I feel like maybe the friend won’t make the first move because maybe he’s scared of my reaction or that I’ll tell my brother. Or maybe he will? If he wanted to he would’ve. Should I not say anything and just ignore them at the gym/whenever I see him? Give me a good plan. Thank you!!