Your boyfriend or girlfriend could turn into your best friend if you’re together long enough. And that’s a great thing. But what if it’s the other way round? What happens when you fall in love with your best friend? Should you ‘fess up or should you just let it be and pray for the feeling to pass?

It’s a tricky one. Some great friendships have gone on to become even better relationships. But then some great friendships have transformed into hate-mail sending, name-calling, I-wish-I’d-never-met-you enemy-hoods of the worst kind too! There are pros and cons to it so take a good look at both. Truth is, whichever way you look at it, you’re bound to lose a friend. Your best friend-turned-girlfriend/boyfriend can still remain your best friend but it’ll come with limitations now. But what’s worse is, if your relationship goes sour, don’t expect to pick up your friendship where you left off. In that case you lose your love and your friend.

Best Friend Love – Worth It?

THE PROS

• You Like Them

If you’re best friends with someone, you obviously like them and like spending time with them. So at least you don’t have to waste your time on meaningless dates trying to judge whether you like them. That’s already established…time to move on to the next step.

• They Know You

Your best friend already knows you – the good, the bad and the ugly. So you don’t have to tiptoe around them, trying hard to impress. They know you and they still want to be with you – that’s half the battle won already!

• Meet the Parents

At some point in the relationship, meeting the parents is required and if you’re best friends already, this is definitely less awkward. They already know you anyway and (hopefully) like you so that’s a huge hurdle conquered!

• Greater Intimacy

The obvious advantage of knowing each other well, sharing common interests, having silly dreams together etc means you already share a bond that’s very intimate. Throw love into the mix and your relationship is bound to have more intimacy than many others.

THE CONS

• Loss of Friendship

Of course the number one con is the potential loss of friendship. If your relationship doesn’t work out, that’s the end of your friendship too. So be careful before you take the leap.

• They Know You Too Well

Knowing each other well can work either way. For some it’s an advantage while for others, not so much. This is because when you know each other so well, there’s nothing new left to discover and can quickly kill the charm of a new relationship. Also, if they know you too well, they also know your weaknesses and at an early stage in a relationship, some of us may not like our weaknesses being exposed. Especially when you’re fighting!

• Friendship ≠ Compatibility

Hanging out together every day can be heaps of fun and you don’t enjoy anyone else’s company as much. But a boyfriend and girlfriend need more than just friendship. You need to be physically and emotionally compatible too and just being great friends may not guarantee that. Remember “I love you” is not always equal to “I’m in love with you.”

• Taking Things For Granted

Even though you might be in love, it can be hard to switch from friendship to relationship mode. It’s possible that one or both of you will end up taking your relationship for granted because it doesn’t feel like something new in your life. Some people never get used to the idea of the best friend being the girlfriend or boyfriend and this can cause a lot of friction.

There’s a good and bad to everything and I can’t really decide for you. Never say never but consider the pros and cons before you jump in!