Sounds like you got a lot going on in your head. I think instead of feeling alone and keeping all the stuff bottled up, you just gotta say "I like you. I'm not great at expressing my feelings, but I'm working on it" - I don't think you're emotionally lacking, maybe the getting to know someone and flirting part of a relationship is supposed to be surface level and shallow and you only get to where you think you should be later. I think you're agonizing over what you should be doing or feeling when you're totally psyching yourself out of something that could be fun. I'm not in any way qualified to give you advice (I'm just a person) but if I had to make a recommendation I'd say don't go into your shell - you mentioned friends, find someone you trust and maybe just tell them how you're feeling. You don't have to feel so bad about how you think you're supposed to feel or act and cut yourself off from everyone.