Have you started noticing subtle signs that your friends with benefits is falling for you? It can be difficult to accurately judge an FWB relationship, as the lines between a friend and a partner are blurred!
But don’t worry, we’re here to help. We’ve put together this comprehensive article based on real-life situations where FWBs have taken their relationship to the next level. And the good news is that there are so many ways that you can potentially tell if your FWB is developing feelings for you or not!
In this article, we introduce you to fifteen tell-tale signs that your FWB is falling for you.
The chemistry between you hits a new level (and there’s an emotional connection)
Of course, when you hook up with your FWB, there’s undoubtedly chemistry between you. Why else would you hop into bed with them? But you might have recently noticed that you’re bonding a lot more outside the bedroom than you have been in the past.
Have you recently started flirting at every opportunity with your FWB? Or maybe you can’t keep your hands off each other outside the bedroom? If the chemistry is off the charts between you, it’s a sign that you’re starting to develop feelings for each other.
You start dating
Instead of just dialing each other when you want to hook up, you might have found yourself heading out for food or catching a movie with your FWB. While this isn’t necessarily a surprise (given that you’re friends!), there’s a subtle difference to be aware of.
During your trips out together, you might find yourself getting touchy-feely, making frequent eye contact, and staring longingly into each other’s eyes. If your outings together become more frequent and your body language more intense, you’ve started dating your FWB without necessarily realizing it.
You begin sharing your innermost feelings – through texting and in person
Typically, spending time together with your FWB is light-hearted and fun, and things only tend to get serious between the sheets. But a sign that your friend with benefits is falling for you is that they start opening up to you about their deepest feelings.
It might be about their feelings for you, but it could also be about their family, previous and future relationships, and even their careers. When your FWB starts using you as a soundboard for their feelings, there’s a good chance that they want to be more than friends.
You stop discussing other love interests around each other
One of the main topics of conversation between close friends is who you’re currently dating. When you started sleeping with your FWB, you may have openly discussed other people you liked and how you were spending your time together.
But if you’re falling for one another, you will probably feel uncomfortable talking about dating other people. The main reason is that you don’t want to upset each other but don’t necessarily know how to take the relationship forward.
Your friend with benefits shows signs of jealousy when you talk about other people
If you’re still communicating openly about other people in your lives, you may notice your FWB getting jealous every time you mention someone. They may get really quiet or even angry hearing another guy’s/girl’s name. If you notice signs of jealousy, it could indicate that your FWB is catching feelings for you. Their changed behavior could mean they’re worried about losing you, or maybe they just hate the idea of sharing you with someone else.
You start spending a lot more time together
When you fall for someone, you want to spend as much time as possible in their company. At the start of your FWB relationship, you maybe hooked up once a week or so and were happy to go about your own lives for the rest of the time.
But now things have changed. You look for any excuse to spend time with each other and end up spending the night at your FWB’s apartment, even when there’s no sex involved. It is a sign that your relationship has matured and that you’re ready for the next step.
You stop caring about what others think of your relationship
One common thing about FWB relationships is that they’re almost always a secret. If you’re sleeping with one of your best friends, the chances are that you don’t want your other friends to know about it.
But if one of you falls for the other, you probably care less about your friends’ thoughts about your arrangement. That can lead you to take more risks, and you may even start showing signs of affection in public.
You stay the night cuddling – with no physical intimacy involved
When you start sleeping with a friend, the relationship revolves around sex. So you plan your meet-ups at times when you can get it on without distractions, and it becomes the focal point of your time spent together. But when you start developing strong feelings for each other, sex becomes one part of your relationship. You start yearning to be in each other’s company and see sex as a benefit instead of the be-all and end-all. And you’ll notice you’re starting to stay the night cuddling without any physical intimacy necessary.
You become invested in each other’s problems
In most cases, an FWB dating relationship is only about hookups, and it’s pretty easygoing. While you probably discuss what’s going on in each other’s lives, you don’t necessarily dig very deep and are content with just enjoying each other’s company.
But when your friend with benefits has developed an emotional attachment to you, you become invested in each other’s problems. So whether it’s a tough day at work or a family issue, you begin consoling one another and begin looking out for each other.
You can’t see a future with anyone else
As much as you both might try, you can’t see a future with other partners. Even if you constantly tell each other that you can’t be more than FWB, your hearts seem to tell you otherwise!
When you’re picturing big events in your future – marriage, kids, vacations – you can only picture life alongside your FWB. That is perhaps one of the most clear-cut signs that you’re ready for more than just sex with your best friend.
You exchange meaningful gifts with each other
Granted, it’s not abnormal for close friends to exchange birthday and Christmas gifts. But when your FWB is starting to fall for you, gift-giving takes on much greater significance.
For instance, you notice the value of the gifts you exchange has increased, and a lot more thought goes into the process. He might have picked you up a limited-edition copy of your favorite kids’ book, for example, and you realize that this is a much more meaningful gift than you’ve ever received from any of your other friends.
Your FWB does small gestures for you
Apart from giving thoughtful gifts, maybe your FWB has started doing cute little things for you, like bringing you your favorite snacks or rushing to bring you medicine when you get sick. Maybe you told them about a band you wanted to see in concert but couldn’t get tickets to, and the next time you see them, they surprise you with two passes. Well, if that’s the case, they may like you way more than just an FWB and want to end your no strings attached situation.
They try to impress you and get you to like them
Have you noticed your friends-with-benefits partner acting like they’re trying to get your attention? Maybe they’re always making silly jokes, dressing in extra flashy clothes all of a sudden, or trying to make you laugh by doing silly things. If so, they probably like you and might want to impress you!
You want to know about each other’s families
Although you might know a little bit about your FWB’s family already, when things between you become serious, you both start asking questions about each other’s families, so you can get to know them a little better.
You might find that your FWB introduces you to some of their family members and even invites you to important family events. But, again, this shows that they’re keen to take things to the next level.
You’re ready for “the conversation”
There comes a time in every friends with benefits relationship for “the conversation.” But, ultimately, you have to decide whether to call things a day as you both move on to new things or agree to start dating each other formally and think about telling your friends.
When you’re in a good place together and are ready to take your relationship forward, this is an exciting time. The only thing is that the conversation can be anxiety-inducing, as you don’t necessarily know how the other person will react.
But showing that you’re ready to have this conversation indicates that now is a great chance for you to take your FWB relationship to the next level.
You noticed some telltale signs your friend with benefits is falling in love with you – now what?
Can friends with benefits fall in love?
Well, it’s perhaps not that big of a surprise that your FWB is falling for you. After all, being intimate with someone you have known for a long time is the perfect foundation for a long-term relationship.
But the most important thing for you to decide is whether you feel the same way about your FWB. If the answer is yes, you need to act to take the relationship to the next level.
Consider dropping it into an upcoming DTR conversation and seeing how the other person reacts. If you don’t bring it up and your relationship doesn’t work out, you might find yourself regretting it for the rest of your life!
