Having a best friend is truly one of the greatest blessings one could ever have. Having someone you share interests with, someone who knows you well, someone who accepts you in your entirety is a wonderful experience.
Falling in love with your best friend is inevitable, almost. No surprise there, because it is a challenge not to fall for a person when you spend a lot of time together and you begin to notice how intricately extraordinary the person is. Usually, the attraction starts unnoticed. People who see you together may notice it even before you do, and long before you admit it to yourselves. When you really ponder on it, you will realize how you do feel for your best friend. That’s when you know you’ve fallen for this person, and that you’ve fallen deeply and irrevocably. Falling used to be terrifying, but in this case, it is a delightful tickling sensation. After this realization, the next one hits you almost always right after. If you’ve fallen for your best friend and you decide to do something about it, is it worth risking your friendship for? Based on my own perfectly imperfect two-year relationship with my best friend of seven years, I can tell you five simple reasons why it’s worth the risk:
1. Your best friend knows you well. Shared experiences always play a big part in the dynamics of a relationship, and being the best of friends assure that you do have a lot of these. These experiences tell you a lot more about the person’s likes, beliefs, desires and dreams more than anything else can. Seeing the person in action, in an uncontrolled environment reveals the nitty gritty of that person’s disposition.
2. You can just be yourself. As your best friend knows you well, you would be accepted for who you are and not for whom anyone else wants you to be. You would not have to pretend. You can be weird, creepy, standoffish, cheerful, or melancholic and your best friend would know how to deal with you.
3. You know you can trust this person wholeheartedly. From material possessions, to personal matters and yes, even with your life, you know you will never doubt entrusting matters to your best friend.
4. Your connection is deeper and stronger. You have always had fun together, and as you experience new things together that trend will most certainly continue. But better than that, you’ll know that even through the trying times you’ll stand by each other; and that you’ll continue to understand and support one another.
5. Because this person knows, accepts, supports, endures and loves you for just being you, you know this one’s definitely a keeper. Your best friend may or may not be the one yet, but at least you know that your heart is in good hands.
However, if you decide on not doing anything about your feelings for your best friend, you’ll always be wondering about how you two may have worked out. If you’re not up to asking yourself “What if..?” for the rest of your life, then go on and do me a favor. Give it a chance and take the risk. Of course, nobody knows how it’ll turn out. But always remember that love and friendship requires faith. And because you’re the best of friends, know that whatever happens, it’s worth the risk. 
