How can you tell if it’s more than a friendship and if they feel the same romantic feelings you’ve been experiencing?
Falling victim to a misunderstanding in such a situation can be incredibly painful. However, there are unmistakable signs that can guide you in deciphering whether there’s more than just friendship at play. By learning to read these signs, you can find the answers you seek.
If you find yourself in three or more of the situations described below, the possibility that it is more than just friendship is highly likely.
**10 Love Lessons We Learned From ‘Sex and the City’**
10 signs to understand if it’s more than friendship
1. It bothers one of you (or both of you) to hear the other talk about other relationships
To truly understand if your connection goes beyond friendship, it’s essential to tune into the feelings of both parties when discussing each other’s love lives.
If you notice a certain restlessness — a discomfort mixed with anxiety — it’s likely that there’s more to your bond than just friendship. Why would such conversations be bothersome otherwise?
The same holds true in reverse: If you notice that the other person often asks questions about who you are interested in, who you would like to date, and so on, there may be something beneath the surface of just friendship.
2. You prefer to see each other one-on-one
Another fairly unmistakable sign is the desire to have solo time. While you used to hangout in groups, you now prefer to see each other alone, being one-on-one.
The truth is, you both might want to form a romantic partnership. Spending a lot of time deepening your friendship often leads to, sooner or later, a friendship blossoming into love.
3. They talk badly about the people you are seeing
When you say you find someone attractive, they belittle them or speak ill of them.
Sometimes, without even realizing it, we subconsciously work hard to downplay our crush’s feelings for another person (who isn’t us). The reason behind this behavior might simply be possessiveness, but it could also signify something more: Jealousy that goes beyond friendship.
4. You find yourself becoming a bit shy
Do you lower your gaze, find yourself almost stammering, are you often flustered when they are around and you don’t understand why? Perhaps it is because you like them and you secretly wish the friendship could turn into something more.
If you haven’t experienced feelings like this before with your friend, maybe it means that something in your relationship has changed. Sometimes all it takes is a gesture, a touch, an appreciation or words sweeter than usual to change the dynamics. Often, it’s entirely unconscious, not yet clear to the one experiencing it.
If the other person also behaves in the same way, showing increased shyness and a bit of awkwardness, they might suddenly find themselves attracted to you, too.
5. You suddenly care more about how you present yourself when meeting up
You used to show up in your pajamas and no makeup while now you have a full hair & makeup routine; There it is, a very telling cue.
The cover is pretty much blown if you notice you both start caring about your appearance around each other.
6. You’re seeing each other more frequently but you still feel like it’s not enough
There is a test to see if you really like each other or if you are just friends: The time you spend together is a good litmus test.
If you used to see each other a couple of times a month and now instead there’s not a day that goes by that you don’t hear from each other and meet up, it could mean something.
Take stock of how much you have seen each other this week and if the answer is “every day,” then there is more to it than just that good friendship you believe.
7. You often make physical and eye contact
The constant temptation to touch, brush against and hug someone hides a longing for physical contact, which can mean many things. First and foremost, a crush; You are most definitely not just friends.
If you really want to understand how you feel about him, try to dwell on the range of emotions you experience when you physically get closer to each other.
And to figure out if they are in it as well, in addition to noticing your own feelings, analyze their emotions at the moment contact occurs. If they wince, smile, get embarrassed, turn red in the face or begin to stutter from agitation, the answer is affirmative.
8. You joke around what it would be like if you were together
Two true friends who feel nothing at all for each other (except friendship precisely) would never, ever fantasize about what it would be like to be together. It just wouldn’t occur to them.
On the other hand, if it occasionally crosses your mind and you find yourself winking, flirting and making jokes about what it would be like to be together, then you can confidently assume it isn’t just platonic friendship tying the two of you together.
Maybe not love, but the chances this could lead to love down the line are high…
9. You listen without interrupting each other
Keeping quiet and listening attentively to someone means holding them in the highest regard, which is not always the case with friends.
If, on the other hand, you are perfectly attuned to each other, with your gaze mesmerized by their eyes and hanging on their lips, it means you like them in the most passionate way as well.
10. You check each other’s social media pages
*Obsessively checking* (ahem) frequently looking at what the other is doing online, wondering who the heck that chick is who put a heart under their profile picture, peeking at what they posted on Instagram and sifting through every tweet is definitely an unhealthy practice, but an inevitable one in the transition phase from friendship to love.
