Yea, like even as a dude I’ll be in different situations where I can see someone uncomfortable who doesn’t feel like they can say no. The best friend, the person nearby, or the cousin who the family already thinks is weird can all step in to stop a variety of weirdos or even just a relative being shitty at the dinner table.

Crushes happen over time, if they were into it they wouldn’t let their friend get in the way and if they did you should probably want to date someone with some better boundaries.