Being in love and having a friend is two different things but at the same time they are similar.  There is a lot of things that are the same and a lot of things that are different.

Friendship and Love

Friendship and love have similar qualities that make people feel that they are the same. There will be intimacy and emotional connections that you feel with someone that is your friend.  Someone that you are just acquainted with is someone that you might talk with and go out with to the bar for a drink but they are not someone that you call when you are feeling down or need a friend.

A friend is someone that you want to be around whenever you can.  It is someone that you can open up to and share your feelings with.  You never get tired of them and you never get bored.

Love and friendship both have a certain aspect of intimacy.  A romantic relationship is a connection that isn’t going to last if there is no intimacy.  Your love is your best friend for a reason.

Commitment is another thing that is important in a romantic relationship.  If you have a similar goal with your partner, then you will be able to commit more and start a family and share things in your life.  This helps you to reach your goal and makes life easier and you won’t have to be alone.

Being friends means that you are committed.  You can be friends with your roommate or with someone that commits to you as friends and you still live different lives, but you are still there for each other at any time.

Difference Between Friendship and Love

Having true love means you have to be intimate and you have to commit, and this is something friends can have but there also can be an attraction.  If you find that you are sexually attracted to someone, it can cause you to get butterflies and to have a chemical released in your mind that makes you want them.  This can be a sign of love.

Passion will die down and you will have to have passion in the relationship to keep it going.  Sometimes, friendships can be sexual, and you can be friends with benefits.  If you have sex, there is no string attached and thee relationships are problematic because there is no real commitment even though there is an intimate bond.  This is something not as strong as love.

If You Love Your Friend

Friendship can always turn into something more and this can happen when two people are friends and then end up being in a relationship.  This makes you date your best friend.

If you find that you couldn’t be friends without being in a relationship, then you were never really friends.  There is a hard difference between a friendship and a romance, and this means that if you are friends, you share an emotional bond but don’t have romance.  Here is a way to tell if the relationship is more than friendship:

Jealousy

If you find out that you are jealous of your friend and you are not having a romantic attachment, chances are you are feeling something more than just friendship.  If you have strong feelings, m you will have jealousy and your mind might think that your friend is in a relationship and it can cause you to be regretful and to feel that you have no chance with them now, even if you didn’t know you wanted one.

When they do end up breaking up with their partner, you might feel relieved and feel that you should tell them how you feel but something holds you back.  This could be that things are too soon for you or that you want to wait but when they get into another relationship, it starts over again.

Thinking About Them

A friend will be on your mind for a while if you have an intimate bond with them because they are your friend.  If you love someone, they are on your mind no matter what.

Pay attention to your thoughts and write down what you are thinking so you can know if you are in it for friendship or for love.

Sexually Attracted

If you want to have sex with your friend, then you are not in a platonic relationship.  A platonic relationship has no sexual feelings and even if you are sexually attracted to someone it does not mean you have a romantic bond with them.  If you want to have sex and you are bonded, then you might want more than just a friend.

Talk About Them

If you find that you are always talking about this person then they might be more than a friend to you.  You may see that you are constantly bringing them up and talking about them.  If you are, you might be in love with them.

Funny Feeling

Someone that you love will cause you to have a funny feeling inside when you are around them.  They might give you butterflies or make you feel attracted to them.

Then What?

If you do have a friend that you feel this way, then there are different things that can happen:

They See You as a Friend

If you have someone that only sees you as a friend, then they won’t have romantic feelings for you, and this can make things awkward.  This can also be disappointing if they don’t want to love you back.  This could hurt your feelings.

Once you would be able to just say okay and learn to continue your friendship, but you can do this better if you just give them space.  Go on dates and find other people to go out with and get them off of your mind.  Go back to your friendship after you get the feelings out.

They Like You Back

If your friend likes you back and you want to be together, know that this can change everything.  It is hard to tell if they like you and they can sometimes send mixed signals but pay attention to how they are acting and find out.

Don’t Say Anything

Some people will not admit how they feel, and they will just continue being friends as normal.  The idea of being together might just end and things will go back to normal or they will be bottled up and you will have to admit your feelings and hope it doesn’t mess up your friendship.

Conclusion

Being friends and being in a romantic relationship are similar but they are also very different.  You have to figure out if you want to be friends, if they love you, if you love them but remember, a real friendship can last forever while most relationships come to an end.  If someone sees you as a good friend, they won’t want to lose you by being with you.

Relationships are hard and they can be hard to manage.  IF you need help, go to a counselor or a therapist and share your feelings with them. Learn to express your emotions and let your relationships grow.

Your best friend can end up being your partner, but you have to wait and look at the signs and see if it is worth giving it a try.