How do I show a boy, that I’ve been friends with for years, I have a crush on him? I want to see if he likes me too without flat out telling him. I don’t know if I’m friend-zoned.

What’s wrong with flat out telling him? I know that this is your great fear, but I think you need to reexamine it.

Encompassed in your great fear is your great hope. Don’t give up on that. In your lifetime, you’ll want to express that with those who want the same with you and can express it back to you. I’m guessing you’re relatively young, so now is the best time to learn (1) how to ask for what you want, directly and honesty, without being pushy, rude, and/or threatening, and (2) how to accept disappointment with grace, pride, and respect, both for yourself and others.

The longer you wait, the more damage you do to your hopes and dreams. That’s worse than the temporary disappointment of being rejected.

Things will change. You will find out, once and for all, where you stand. And you will be much better off because of it. Screw up your courage, find a time where you can be alone without being observed by others, and say, gently but firmly, “I’ve been friends with you for years. Maybe I’m wrong and you’ll let me know if I am, but I think we’re both feeling a mutual attraction beyond friendship. I have a crush on you. Do you feel the same about me? If not, I hope we can still remain friends.*” If saying it face-to-face is too scary for you, consider writing, by hand, and old-fashioned letter that you stamp and mail to him.

Oh, and friendship is awesome, by the way. There’s no such thing as a friend zone. People don’t punish us by being our friends. It’s a term insecure and disappointed misogynists tend to use and you’ll want to rid your vocabulary of it as soon as possible.

All the best.

* If you can’t be friends with your crush after he tells you or indicates that he doesn’t want to be romantic/sexual with you, take as much time away from him as you need to mend your broken heart and disabuse yourself of the notion that you can be lovers.