Thinking about taking a leap of faith in love—outside the friend zone?
We’ve seen this happen a thousand times – one moment you’re making fun of your best friend, and then the next thing you know, you’re already imagining a future with them. Sometimes a relationship’s jump from platonic to romantic takes just a week, years in some cases. Regardless, its risks are too high because you could lose them if you come clean about your feelings.
In the second installment of iWant’s hugot anthology series “Ampalaya Chronicles” entitled “Labyu Hehe,” Karina Bautista and Aljon Mendoza portray Peng and Sol, childhood best friends who eventually become best friends. In their transition from buddies to lovers, both characters learn that their romance has both pros and cons.
If you’re thinking about following their lead and risking it all for love, here are five changes to think about before dating your best friend:
1. You will be around them all the time.
Friends hang out a lot, but people in relationships crave more time and more experiences together. Taking it to the next level means doing more than just telling them you miss them over the phone when you’re apart, and constantly showing up for each other.
2. The attachment and protectiveness is going to be more intense.
Wait, they made plans without telling you? She’s going out with other friends? He’s still liking other girls’ posts?
When you weren’t dating, these things didn’t matter. But now, even the simple little things about them impact you without you realizing it. Just like any other relationship, it just takes time and constant communication to work it out.
3. Everything is out—nothing and nowhere else to hide.
You already know each other well, so you have long moved past the getting-to-know-you part. You know their quirks, likes, and dislikes. You’ve met their whole family. You’ve even met (and maybe frowned upon) their parade of exes. This time, however, keeping secrets from each other is no longer an option.
4. Fights. Inevitably, you’re going to have them.
You’re going to compare how you were before. While you could easily shrug off a “tampuhan” when you were friends, your misunderstandings will become more intense, scathing, and overwhelming if you become romantic – all because you will both matter too much to each other.
5. You might just end up with “the one”—or not.
This is the reason why you were even afraid of taking the leap to begin with, because there are only two endings to stories about friends turning into lovers. Either you find your soulmate and live happily ever after, or you lose your best friend and you are left with the biggest heartache ever. Whether if it's worth fighting for or not, it is totally up to the both of you.
Still need time to think it through? Catch “Ampalaya Chronicles: Labyu Hehe” for free on the iWant app (iOs and Android) or iwant.ph. For updates, like www.facebook.com/iWant, and follow @iwant on Twitter and @iwantofficial and @dreamscapedigital on Instagram, and subscribe to www.youtube.com/iWantPH.