Men of Reddit: why would a guy repeatedly choose the treadmill next to the same woman at the gym?

Hey guys — I’m curious about this from a male perspective.

I go to the gym Monday–Friday at the same time every day and usually do cardio on the treadmill. For about the past month, I’ve noticed a guy there who seems to notice me too. I’ll catch him looking at me sometimes and then he looks away when I notice.

About three weeks ago, he started choosing the treadmill right next to mine even when most of them are open, and he’s done this almost every day since. After his workouts he’ll sometimes end up next to me again, so I’ll take one AirPod out in case he wants to talk, but he never said anything.

A couple days ago I finally introduced myself and said, “Hey, I see you here often — what’s your name?” We exchanged names, said nice to meet you, and that was it. The conversation didn’t go further, but he still continues to pick the treadmill next to me and glance over occasionally.

From a guy’s perspective, what usually goes through your mind in situations like this? Is this just coincidence/gym convenience, or is there usually some level of interest even if the guy doesn’t start a conversation? And generally speaking, do guys in this situation prefer the woman to engage a bit more first, or would that feel like too much at the gym?