Crush, Obsession, Infatuation! DX HELP

I think it may be a bit forward to have your first spoken words to him be, "Do you like guys?" A better first comment would be something related to your class or (as cliche as it sounds) a comment about the weather. Keep it short and light. Heck, even just say "Hello" with a smile when you pass him. You can build up future conversations from there.

Also keep in mind he might be the type of guy who is on his phone during meals because he feels awkward about eating by himself. I was that guy in college. I would have killed to have someone from my dorm or my classes offer to sit with ne instead of mostly having to eat alone. Granted that was the era of the original IPod. I usually hid behind a book.

 

Grade A infatuation.
SimpleMan's got good advice - Your first words should be friendly, not straight to the dating aspect.
Just get to know him. You need to just say, "Hey" sometime. Then you can maybe talk more and more and get to know him. That'll help you deduce his sexuality.

If you find out later that he is gay, maybe then you can hit up those catchy dating phrases.

 

It's funny how very similar your story gets at times to what I'm experiencing now, even down to the guy's physical description, haha.

But I digress.

First of all, before you make any sort of assumptions that he's interested in guys at all, get to know him better first. It's much better to befriend him and become closer, especially if he is in fact, interested, but closeted. Asking him straight away if he's interested in guys might put him off, placing distance between the two of you. You can slip the question into a conversation later down the line, once you're better friends with him. That is, if it doesn't come up organically on it's own.

Second, I don't really know much about this "stare" or if eye contact really means much about him trying to figure you out or anything. You could be totally right, but I have zero advice for this.

Third, constantly being on his phone in the dining hall doesn't necessarily suggest he's in any sort of relationship. He may be the shy type and is talking to someone back home or a friend from far away. Parents and family, even, could be who he's talking to. Perhaps he's not even talking to anyone, but is just surfing the internet. I tend to bring my laptop all the time and use that to keep me company in the dining halls, being pretty shy myself. He probably just doesn't care for how uncomfortable and lonely it might feel to eat alone without something to keep him occupied. I know it's a difficult thing to do, and I need to practice what I preach here, but a simple "Hey, are you eating with anyone? Mind if I join you then?" can go a long way in getting to know the guy better.

You definitely ought to find out his name before you get too far into any heavy sorts of conversation, such as asking if he's into guys. And don't worry, it's perfectly okay to get crazy obsessive over a crush. It happens to the best of us. As long as you don't take it too far and start following him everywhere and saving his trash or anything, you'll be fine. Heck, even being shy is okay. Not all of us can be social butterflies.

Just keep it cool. Try to seem as calm and nonchalant as possible, and walk up to him. Be friendly, smile a little maybe, and start chatting with him. Ask how classes are going or something simple like that, and you can take it from there.

If you find out he isn't into guys, you'll have to move on, but if he is, you can at least be happy that there's hope.

Good luck, man! You've got this.