My girlfriend (22) and I (F23) have been friends since I was eighteen and moved to the U.S. when she was my neighbor. It’s been almost six years since our friendship, and I’ve been into her for quite a while.
We’ve only been on a few dates, but since we’ve been long-time friends, I trust that this relationship will last. By May or June, we’ll have dated for about 3-4 months (but like I said, I’ve known her for far longer). I’ll be 24 by then, and hopefully she’ll be my fiancée.
Before then, I’m staying at her house for a while to see what it’s like before I move in.
Dating is not the same thing situation as being friends. Living together isn’t the same thing as dating even. I wish you the best of luck, but as a random on the Internet who knows nothing about you or your situation - marriage doesn’t have to mean anything. You can have everything marriage can give you without the legal work of marriage and personally I think striving for that is the best green flag a couple can have.
So true! The amount myself and my friends changed over time, especially in our 20s was just incredible. I would definitely suggest a long engagement just to fully feel things out. As adults, it’s super helpful to see how people handle career stress, highly emotionally charged events like loss, and just shifting interests in life. I do wish them the best of luck 🩷 Being in love can be so magical, but also tends to take work.