Do guys fall in love with friends with benefits? Are they capable of feeling anything for a girl they thought they’d never get serious with? Are women the only ones who think that this kind of relationship can turn into something more?
Truth be told, men aren’t that different from women when it comes to FWB relationships. Yes, many of them are interested in hookups and no-strings-attached types of relationships, but that doesn’t mean they’re incapable of falling in love with their FWB partner.
You’d be foolish to believe that guys aren’t as emotional as women. After all, they can’t command their hearts any better than women can.
That’s why love is tough in the first place. It consists of spontaneous emotions and amazing and unexpected twists. And more often than not, you can’t do anything to prevent it.
You can try to run away from them, but sooner or later, those unresolved feelings will catch up on you. And even though many women know this, they still have a difficult time finding a man who’ll commit to them.
The tricky thing is, many guys will hide their true emotions behind tough words and cruel actions because they’re afraid they might get hurt if they open up. This is why they usually settle for FWB relationships as it’s easier for them to leave if things start to get real.
What does it mean to be in an FWB situation?
The whole idea of friends with benefits is that there are no strings attached and that falling in love with the other person is almost impossible.
Two people make an arrangement to casually hook up and sleep with each other, and in that process, they avoid any kind of emotional intimacy. And that’s about it, really. So, there’s your answer if you’re wondering what friendship with benefits means to a guy.
But that’s not the thing that bothers you right now, am I right? You want to know what this means to you.
Then tell me, are you searching for someone who’ll be nothing more than a bedwarmer to you? Or were you the one who caught feelings first and now you’re asking yourself if he could be feeling the same?
Well, the truth isn’t as complicated as you may think. Unless your guy is a real player or a manipulative idiot, he may just have caught feelings for you. But how far he’s willing to go depends on several things.
Nevertheless, even if he acts cold toward you or tries to avoid being emotionally attached to you, there’s a strong chance he has serious feelings for you. It’s bound to happen.
Can guys develop feelings even if they’re in an FWB relationship?
Although it’s widely believed that guys aren’t that emotional, you now know that’s simply not true. When you’re physically intimate with someone, you share your energy with them and expose your most vulnerable side to them.
If you’ve seen each other only a couple of times, it’s difficult to form any deep and meaningful emotional connection with that person. On the other hand, in a friends-with-benefits situation, you’re spending more nights together, which complicates things.
You’ll hear from many relationship experts that men are different from women and how uncommon it is for them to be emotional. But the only difference is how they show their emotions.
A guy may mask his feelings and deliberately choose not to show them in his behavior, pretending that he doesn’t care about anything other than physical satisfaction, but that won’t last forever. Eventually, his heart will become heavy and he’ll show his true colors.
How to turn things in your favor?
Turning an FWB relationship into a real relationship is possible, but not many people are ready to put in the work to make it happen.
But if you want to take things up a notch, and make him accept his feelings for you, then you’ll need to spend more time with him. That’s the only way you can help him realize you’re being serious with him.
And if both of you have the same goal in mind and are only interested in a casual relationship, then you need to make sure that you spend as little time together as possible.
Every minute that you spend with each other beyond the act of sleeping together gives you an opportunity to get to know him better. Use this knowledge to your advantage to get whichever result you’re looking for.
Signs your FWB partner is catching feelings for you
Okay, so we know now that guys can and do fall in love with friends with benefits. But how can you tell if he’s getting attached to you?
Luckily, there are signs that show you he’s looking for a serious relationship – you just have to be attentive not to miss them.
1. He asks you out on a date
Perhaps your entire relationship was based on booty calls and hookups, and you never had the chance to go on a real date because you weren’t dating in the first place.
But now, he’s behaving differently. He’s finally plucked up the courage to ask you out on a date with him.
It’s okay if this startled you at first. You may start to question his intentions and whether or not he’s playing tricks on you. But know this: He’s just as confused as you are right now.
He probably doesn’t know how to properly confess his feelings for you. He’s genuinely scared that you might reject him.
That’s why he wants to show you through a romantic date that he’s ready to be in a committed relationship with you. He knows that through his actions he could prove to you that he’s there for the long haul.
But be careful and think thoroughly whether or not that’s something you want. Don’t be afraid to tell him “no” just because you don’t want to hurt his feelings. Being honest is always better than lying to someone about your emotions.
2. He introduces you to his friends
At first, it might be strange that your FWB partner has introduced you to one of his close friends, but he’s actually secretly telling you that he’s falling for you.
Guys generally like to keep things to themselves and are very protective of the people who are closest to them. They won’t introduce you to their family or friends if they don’t plan to be in a serious relationship with you.
Those people represent a huge part of their lives. So for them, it’s never easy to bring someone new into their inner circle.
If he invites you to hang out with him and his buddies, take it as a strong sign that your guy has fallen in love with you, and wants to be more than merely friends with benefits.
3. He surprises you with gifts
Being in a friends-with-benefits relationship means that you shouldn’t receive any gifts from your partner, as this gesture is an indication of genuine affection. But FWB means you only get together to sleep with each other and the communication is almost nonexistent. The relationship is as simple as it can be, without any strings attached.
But if your man starts showering you with expensive gifts, then that’s an obvious sign that your dating life is about to be turned upside down.
Some guys are great at expressing their emotions through words, while others are afraid to open up. Those men are looking for other ways to tell their partners that they mean a lot to them. And one of them is giving their significant other gifts.
A word of warning, though. If you know that you can’t reciprocate and that you’ll hurt him if you continue, then you need to be direct with him.
Tell him that you need to have a conversation and confess that he’s crossing the boundaries of your relationship. His heart will take it and he’ll only respect you more for it.
4. He gets easily jealous of other men
Jealousy is a powerful emotion that many people don’t know how to use to their advantage. But that’s about to change for you.
Guys can be very protective of those who mean a lot to them, including their partners. So, if you’re wondering how to tell if a guy has fallen in love with you, then observe how he behaves when you’re around other men.
Does he seem possessive and even manipulative when you’re hanging out with other men? Does it bug him that you’re talking to another guy with him only a couple of meters away from you?
If not, then you can be sure that he has no feelings for you and simply doesn’t care whether or not you’ll end up sleeping with someone else besides him.
However, if your guy gets jealous every time another man gets close to you, then take that as a clear sign that he’s really into you. He’ll get jealous even over some little things – for instance, if you mention that you’ve met an awesome guy on some dating app and that you’ve been talking to him for the past couple of days.
He’s actually testing the waters to see if you’d be interested in turning this friends-with-benefits situation into something more serious.
5. Your communication improves
One of the pros of a friend-with-benefits relationship is that you don’t have to tell your partner everything about yourself. You’re together only because you’re physically attracted to each other and that’s it. There’s no need for you to open up to them and show your vulnerable side at all.
But what does it mean when your FWB partner suddenly starts talking about deep things, and your conversations turn into pillow talks? Well, it’s pretty obvious at that point that your guy has caught feelings for you and is trying to take your relationship to the next level.
When a man is genuinely in love with you, he’ll invest his time in getting to know you better. He’ll be eager to find out as much as possible about you because he’ll want to create a deeper connection with you.
On top of that, he’ll actively listen to what you have to say because he’s besotted with you. And that’s exactly what’s happening to you, but you fail to see it since your thoughts are all over the place right now.
Remember, that if he wanted a casual relationship, then he would keep conversations shallow and to a minimum.
6. His body language is telling you something
I already gave you the answer to your question of whether guys can fall in love with friends with benefits, but how do you know that he’s falling in love with you?
It could be that your guy isn’t ready to admit that he has feelings for you yet. But the good news is that he’ll definitely try to express them through his body language.
Therefore, pay close attention to how he looks at you while the two of you are together, as well as his facial expressions when he speaks with you. Then you’ll be able to figure out what’s going on inside his mind and how he truly feels about you.
If he maintains eye contact while you two are talking and smiles a lot more than usual, then you can be sure that the FWB arrangement you two have just isn’t enough for him anymore.
The thing is, it’s difficult for him to tell you directly to your face that he sees you as more than FWB. He hopes that you’ll pick up on those little cues that he has caught feelings for you and is ready to start a real romance with you.
Many women ignore these small signs in body language because they’re too focused on the big ones. And when they finally do notice them, it’s usually too late for anything serious to happen.
7. He suddenly pulls away
Are you wondering why your FWB partner has suddenly pulled away and started to act cold and distant? Does it seem as if he doesn’t want to continue with the whole thing? If yes, then it could be that he has fallen in love with you but doesn’t know how to tell you.
Men generally pull away before they commit to someone. That doesn’t happen because they’re cowards, but because they want to make sure they’re making the right move.
It could be that he’s well aware he’s catching feelings for you. If he’s changing the rules of your friends-with-benefits relationship because he’s fallen in love with you, then your guy will probably take a step back to evaluate his next move.
He’s going through a roller coaster of emotions right now and he needs some alone time to process them in peace. The best thing you can do is to give him that time and let him approach you first. Sooner or later, he’ll come to you and ask you to turn this arrangement into something more.
8. He’s asking about your love life
If you’re casually dating, then he won’t ask you about your love life or anything similar because he doesn’t care if you’re dating anyone else. He won’t even bother sending you a good morning message since he knows that’s not what FWB do.
However, if he starts talking about your dating life and says stuff like “I’m happy that both of us are single,” then it’s a pretty big sign he’s really into you.
If you’re still not certain that he wants a serious relationship with you, then just mention that you’re seeing another man and observe his reaction. Does he seem to be jealous of that man? Or does he act like everything’s cool and isn’t bothered by the fact that he’s not your only option?
A man who’s caught feelings for you won’t be okay to share you with another. He’ll be possessive and perhaps even a bit controlling, but that’s when you’ll know that he’s developed romantic feelings for you. Your guy is no longer satisfied with the freedom of a friends-with-benefits relationship because he’s fallen in love with you.
9. He starts avoiding you
A guy who considers you to be his potential girlfriend may end up avoiding you, and that’s especially true if you labeled your relationship as friends with benefits.
He obviously isn’t the type who’s accustomed to one-night stands, but he also doesn’t know whether or not it’s a good idea to start a romantic relationship with you.
The truth is he’s avoiding you because he doesn’t want to hurt your feelings, but he doesn’t have the strength to cut ties either. He’s keeping you close in case he does change his mind.
The best relationship advice that I can give you if you ever find yourself in a situation like this is to be patient and give him some space to think things through. Don’t bother him too much because he may think that you’re clingy and you’ll lose him forever.
Once he realizes that he wants to be with you in a real relationship, he’ll call you and you’ll have your chance to confess everything to him.
10. You’re almost a “couple”
Does he propose that you accompany him to his family dinner? Does he call you because he wants to spend quality time with you?
And if he suggests that the two of you go on a proper date, does he open the doors for you, pay you compliments, or hold your hand?
If the answer to these questions is positive, then that’s a clear sign he isn’t looking for only a casual relationship with you. He’s done being friends with benefit. He’s obviously fallen in love with you.
His opinion about you changed once he realized that his feelings aren’t the same as they were. Now he desires to connect on a deeper emotional level with you and that’s why he’s doing all these “couple” things.
11. He’s always hitting you up
You know that he’s really into you if he calls you just to say that he misses you. You can no longer consider him to be your FWB partner – instead, it’s time to have “the talk.”
He’s caught feelings for you, that’s why he’s sending you all those messages saying that he can’t wait to cuddle with you again. Guys who have no emotions for you will either hit you up when they want to sleep with you or not contact you at all.
12. He’s acting foolishly in front of you
It’s difficult for men to control themselves or their behavior when they’re around someone they like. Don’t ask me why, but it’s the truth.
Maybe he messed food all over himself while you were on a date and you had the urge to film him. Or perhaps he didn’t pay attention while the two of you were walking and he tripped.
Whatever it may be, if he’s done something idiotic or funny in front of you, then he must really like you.
Final thoughts
If you’re wondering if guys fall in love with friends with benefits, the obvious answer is – yes. It’s almost as impossible for men not to catch feelings for their FWB partner as it is for women.
Just like with women, men don’t have the ability to control their hearts and emotions. And when they do fall in love with another person, it’s tough for them to ignore those feelings.
If you recognized any of the abovementioned signs, you need to talk with him about where your relationship is heading. I understand FWB relationships are tough to maintain and often end badly, but that isn’t necessarily the case here.
You have to be aware of all the consequences that this little adventure of yours may hold. And even though your emotions are genuine, it doesn’t mean he feels the same way about you.
In the end, it’s all up to you to decide if this guy is worth your time and effort. Who knows, maybe he’s the one for you? You just need to be patient and take it one step at a time.
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