14 Signs You're in a Relationship

1. You've actually met the friends you see on his Instagram that you stalk religiously. There is a distinct difference between meeting his friends (even if he does introduce you by name only or as his "friend"), and knowing who all his friends are because you're on his Instagram 24/7 and he tags them in his photos. 

2. You go on dates before 10 p.m. to actual places with people in them. His grody room does not count and anything after 10 p.m. is just a hookup and "come over to my place around 11" is not a date, people, come on. 

3. You regularly eat full-scale meals in a public place with breakable dishes. If you've moved past bars and Starbucks runs, and actually eat at nice places with cups that aren't made of paper, and this happens more than once every few months, that is not typical fuckboy behavior and that's a good thing. 

4. He's opened up to you about some very real shit. People don't open up to people they don't care about. They just don't. So if he feels close enough to you to tell you about his parents' divorce and how he was picked on in seventh grade, he obviously feels closer to you than to Sara Who I Saw Naked Once. 

5. He's listened and been empathetic when you opened up about some very real shit. It's one thing for someone to open up to you, but if he can also be receptive and kind and comforting when you're feeling vulnerable and sharing something that is hard for you to share, these are the building blocks of intimacy, my friend, and they do not usually show up in FWB situations. 

6. You've asked him if he was sleeping with anyone else and he said no like it was weird that you asked that. If he doesn't make a dumb joke and dodge the question or say something like, "Eh, not really," that's a good sign. But if he straight-up answers with, "No, are you?" he's in this and hopes you're in this too. 

7. You talk as much as two junior high girls with unlimited texting plans. Is it because your genitals touched a few times? Probably not. It's much more likely that you actually love talking to each other and are kind of becoming best friends, which is basically the key to any awesome relationship (aka more than sex friends). 

8. You don't even ask each other what you're doing on the weekends because it's implied that you'll obvs be booing up. If your plans are more "OMG, we have to go to the botanical gardens Friday. Wanna meet at 8?" instead of "Hey, just seeing if you're around on Friday and would maybe want to get together?" you guys are legit. Also, I'm sorry I said booing up. I regretted it immediately. 

9. He's taken care of you when you're sick and didn't worry that you'd infest his body with your nasty germs. Would I make out with a hookup who was sick? Haha, no, I would never even be within 10 miles of his house if I could help it. Would I make out with a boyfriend I cared about who was sick? Have and would again. 

10. His family knows ~*who you are*~. If he routinely tells you that he told his mom this hilarious thing you said the other day, that means she knows who you are and generally most guys don't tell their moms about Kristen Who I Sext on Fridays When I'm Kind of Drunk.

11. You actually want to see him all the time​. Because you have fun together and he makes you feel like you're 16 again, instead of just wanting to see him because it's midnight and no one on Tinder is hot. 

12. He doesn't ignore your texts like he's the President of Busyness​. If anything, he replies right away most of the time because getting your texts seems like his favorite part of his day, which is very cute. 

13. He knows your Starbucks order by heart. And occasionally surprises you with your half-caff soy cappuccino with three Splendas even though he feels that to be an excessive number of Splendas. 

14. He's actually met your friends who totally think he's your boyfriend because it's so obvious. When your friends don't think he's sketchy and actually like him and could tell from a mile away that he's your boyfriend and super proud to be so, spoiler: He is your boyfriend. Congratulations/have a nice marriage.  

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