Guys are more secretive with their emotions and they don’t want to show them as often. He probably is scared to get embarrassed around you or do anything wrong since he obviously must care a lot about you. He didn’t want to say yes to seem too desperate but also he didn’t want to say no obviously since he likes you. He probably thought your friend was asking about someone else wanting to ask him and he doesn’t want to go with anyone else. If you like him back, I would go to him directly and discuss your feelings with him as well. Directly asking him all of your questions would be the best way to solve things because he is not gonna express his personal feelings to anyone else since it could spread out and he doesn’t want to be embarrassed
