What to Do When You Have a Crush on Your Friend

Wait. The worst thing you can do is act on your feelings as soon as you realize you have a crush on your friend. You probably can't estimate the depth of your feelings just yet. Maybe it's an innocent crush that comes and goes. Maybe you're falling for your friend. Who knows? You have to wait and see whether your feelings will get stronger or go away eventually.

Weigh the pros and cons. If your crush doesn't seem to go away anytime soon and you're thinking about dating your friend, weigh the pros and cons of such a relationship. Remember that every relationship has the potential of getting messed up. If you mess up a romantic relationship with your friend, your friendship will probably never be the same. Are you sure you want to risk your friendship by getting into a relationship with your friend?

Don't rush. Even if you're positive that you're in love with your friend and are willing to take the risk, don't confess your feelings yet. We suggest that you try to get an idea of how your friend feels about you before you tell them anything. Look for the sighs that your friend is into you, then try some light flirting, If they flirt back, you have a chance. If they don't, you can just turn it into a joke.

Don't have sex before you talk. Even if you're both attracted to each other and have insane chemistry, a hookup will make things more complicated and might even cost you friendship. So before you have sex, talk about your feelings. However, sex just happens sometimes when we don't expect it. If this is your case, be an adult and talk about your feelings afterwards instead of running away and pretending that nothing happened.

Make a move. If you a) are 100% positive that you have feelings for your friend, and it is more than just a crush; b) are willing to put your friendship at risk; and c) think that your friend might have feelings for you, too, don't keep your feelings to yourself! Go and tell you friend how you feel. Maybe they won't reciprocate your feelings, but if the object of your affection is a good friend, they will turn you down gently. If you never say anything, your friendship will just keep getting weirder and weirder.

Be ready for any outcome. If your friend feels the same way, take things slow. Transitioning from friends to lovers can be a little confusing and awkward at first, so don't rush. If it is too much too soon, slow down and deal with the awkwardness. If your friend doesn't feel the same way, we suggest that you take a break from seeing each other until you decide what you want – to continue being friends as if nothing happened or to end your friendship.