18 ‘Almost Couples’ Confess Why They Finally Decided To Date After So Damn Long

1. “At first, he claimed that he wasn’t ready for a relationship so I bounced. Couldn’t take the pain of being friends with him without dating him. And then a few months later, he called me. Told me he loved me. Told me letting me go was the dumbest decision of his life. I didn’t want to take him back right away, I made him sweat a little, but eventually we got together and now we’re engaged!” — Holly, 27

2. “We both knew we had feelings for each other, but I think we were both confused about what the other person wanted. A relationship? A friend with benefits? Just someone to flirt with? Eventually I asked the dreaded where do you see this going question and he gave me an honest answer. That was the start of it all.” — Adriana, 22

3. “The timing just wasn’t right the first time around. We grew apart. And then we ended up running into each other like, five years later and the timing was finally right.” — Hayden, 29

4. “We were texting back and forth for months, but we never hung out in person and I wasn’t sure why. Eventually, I took the lead and said, ‘Either you’re taking me out for dinner tonight or the texting stops. I can’t deal with this almost crap.’ He came right over.” — Eliza, 19

5. “Honestly, we were both idiots. All our friends said we fought like an old married couple, but we had no idea the other person was interested. It took us way too long to figure that out. We should have just been vocal since day one. Then we could have saved a lot of time and second guessing.” — Mandy, 25

6. “I only wanted sex at first. I feel like a piece of crap about that now. But then I got to know her better and I changed my mind. I couldn’t not date her.” — Spencer, 28

7. “I really don’t know why it took us so long. I don’t have an answer. Maybe we were scared to admit how we felt?” — Gina, 26

8. “A fight actually led us to dating. I was pissed about him not answering my texts and he said something about how he’s not my boyfriend and I said how I wanted him to be my boyfriend and we ended up deciding to become official that night. It’s weird but calling him out on his bullshit worked in my favor.” — Brandi, 28

9. “We wanted to stay friends, but the sexual tension was too strong. We ended up making out at a party and after that there was no going back.” — Isaac, 22

10. “This is going to make both of us look bad but we were both in other relationships at the time. Bad relationships. We would flirt constantly but since we were already dating different people, we never thought about getting together. Of course, eventually both those relationships ended and we hooked up straight after.” — Mia, 23

11. “He had just gotten out of a bad relationship and I didn’t want to pressure him into a new relationship. So I waited a few months and then made my move. I’m happy I waited. I don’t think we would have worked otherwise.” — Jasmin, 27

12. “He kept saying I was just a friend. But one night we got really flirty and I went in for a kiss. That changed everything.” — Gregory, 26

13. “My now-boyfriend wanted to date me since high school, but I wasn’t interested. Then I got older. I realized it was time to settle down. And he was always there for me, so I took a shot with him. Happy I did.” — Marilyn, 25

14. “I always try to become friends with someone before dating them. So I guess I’m always in almost relationships before official relationships. I like it that way. It works for me.” — Adrian, 21

15. “I’ll admit it. I was the fuckgirl who texted a million guys at a time. The only reason I decided to date the man I’m about to marry is because he was different. He wasn’t okay with an almost. Wasn’t okay with only sex. He wanted more and he let me know. He didn’t keep quiet about what he wanted and I found that sexy.” — Kiera, 30

16. “The brutally honest answer? We hooked up as friends for months. I didn’t consider it anything serious. But then I got pregnant. After that it made sense for us to get together officially. We’ll see what happens…” — Isabel, 28

17. “It just happened naturally. Some couples move at a slower pace. That was us. I’m not ashamed to admit it.” — Dakota, 22

18. “After about a year of back and forth, I told him he could either make me his official girlfriend or lose me forever. He picked the right option.” — Jessie, 19