(photo: @diegoarqi)
You gotta go for the kiss.
If you attempt it and it comes out awkward, whatever, screw it. you tried. if she likes you, she won’t care.
If you attempt it and comes out beautifully done, great awesome! you did it!
Regardless, if you’re feeling it, go for the kiss on the first or second date.
It will take you from being seen as a friend to now being seen as a romantic and sexual option.
And that’s ultimately the goal to being in a relationship right?
At the end, you can get to know someone as a friend while still being their lover. Point being: you can be friends AND lovers. they aren’t mutually exclusive.
I’ve heard some people say “be her friend first” and that leads to a path of heartbreak because that rarely works.
So from the get-go, set yourself aside as a romantic option with the kiss.
Tip 1) Try to hold her hand first. If she seems comfortable with that and doesn’t pull her hand away, then you can try to kiss any time after that. She has then kind of given the implicit non-verbal “ok” for doing something romantic and physical with you. If she pulls her hand away or let’s go quickly then you should not try to kiss. I’ve tested this more than 50 times and it has never failed me ever.
Tip 2) If handholding is not possible or weird for whatever reason, test the waters by seeing if she’s comfortable with your face really close to her face. If she is comfortable with you being within a few inches of her face and looking in your eyes then that’s another great sign she’s ok with a kiss. Sit next to her at a restaurant / bar / club so that physical proximity is easy and possible. You don’t want to “dive in” for the kiss. You want to do it slowly allowing her plenty of time to back out and for you to spot her reaction. This also builds anticipation and gives her time to prepare for a kiss by puckering up, closing her eyes, relaxing the mouth etc. Everything becomes better if you just slow it doooown. If she moves towards you / closes her eyes – go for it. If she moves away or turns her face to the side – back off. That’s how you can put yourself in a situation where it’s easy to read her and find out if she’s ok, without having a talk about it (which can be unromantic)