Anna Scheucher
Casual relationships are great for stress relief, lighthearted fun, and getting to know someone without the pressure of a serious relationship.
But what if you start to develop deeper feelings for your casual partner, and what if they reciprocate the feelings?
This situation can be tricky, but there are some telltale signs that your casual relationship is getting serious!
1) You’re emotionally invested in the relationship
When you’re in a casual relationship, you tend to keep your feelings in check because you don’t want to scare your partner away.
However, if you’re feeling more serious about your partner and you’ve let your guard down, it could be a sign that you want a more committed relationship.
The same goes for your partner — if they’re letting you in, it could show that they’re ready for a deeper connection.
If you find yourself getting emotional when you’re with your casual partner, this could be a sign that you’re ready for something more.
Of course, everyone deals with emotions differently and you might be perfectly content with your casual relationship.
However, when you notice that you don’t really care too much about the physical intimacy anymore as long as you get to spend time with them, that’s when you know you’re in deep.
2) They’re on your mind a lot
When you’re interested in someone, you tend to think about them more often — and this goes for casual relationships, too.
If you’ve started thinking about your partner more often than usual, this could mean that you’re falling for them.
It doesn’t matter if you know about them reciprocating your feelings — as long as you have feelings for your partner, it’s worth exploring the relationship further and giving it a shot.
And if they’re thinking about you just as much as you are thinking about them, it’s a good sign that they care about the relationship too!
You see, when someone is on your mind a lot, that just instantly means that you have feelings for them.
Why am I so sure?
Because back when I realized I was thinking too much about a particular person, I reached out to a professional relationship coach.
Even though I was skeptical about coaches before, my friend suggested Relationship Hero and I decided to give it a try.
And guess what?
Their personalized advice and practical solutions indeed surprised me!
They explained the possible reasons why this person was constantly on my mind and helped me take my relationship to the next level.
So, if you also want to receive professional advice from experienced coaches in the field, I’m leaving a link to contact them:
3) You’re both looking for something deeper
When you’re in a casual relationship, it’s easy to get swept up in the physical aspect of the relationship.
However, if you’ve noticed that your partner is looking a little bit deeper into the relationship than usual and they’re wanting to find out more about you, this could be a sign that they want something more.
If you start wondering about them, this could mean that you really care about them.
Of course, there are other signs — like talking about your feelings or initiating conversations — but if you notice that your partner is starting to take an interest in learning more about you and their feelings are reciprocated, it’s definitely time to start thinking about possibilities!
Think about it: if you are simply in a casual relationship, your partner has no incentive to find out lots of details about you and your life, right?
However, when you like each other, you will start to want to find out more about the other person, and this will drive you both to be more connected.
If your partner is interested in exploring a relationship with you, they will quickly start looking for information that they can use to get to know you better.
They might ask some questions about where you’re from, what kind of hobbies you have, and what’s your favorite thing to do on weekends.
Even if they don’t share all of these details with you right away — or even at all — this is still a sign that they’re interested in finding out more about who you are as a person and what makes you tick.
They might take time to learn about your interests and hobbies if they want to be sure that there’s something there for them too.
4) You’re spending a lot of time together
The more time you spend with someone, the more you get to know them and get closer to them.
So if you’re spending a lot of time with your casual partner, it could be a sign that they’re becoming more than just a friend with benefits.
On the flip side, if your casual partner is spending a lot of time with you, it could mean that they’re getting more attached to you, too!
In general, spending time together can be a good indication of whether a casual relationship is progressing into something more serious.
If you and your partner start spending more time together, that might be the beginning of a more serious relationship.
You see, usually, friends with benefits see each other for one thing and one thing only.
Now: if you and your partner start to hang out before, after, or even unrelated to sleeping with each other, that means that there is definitely something there.
It’s an unwritten rule of friends with benefits that you don’t hang out too much in order to avoid catching feelings.
So if that is the case for you, you might be getting more serious about your relationship with them!
5) You are vulnerable around one another
To be vulnerable with someone means that you’re letting them see your weaknesses and fears, and letting them have a real glimpse into who you are.
It’s a sign of trust and a willingness to let your guard down and let someone else in.
If you are sharing personal details about your past, are opening up about your current problems, or are telling your partner about your hopes and dreams for the future, you may be opening yourself up in a vulnerable way.
If your casual partner is sharing personal details with you and is letting you into their life, this could be a sign that they are emotionally invested and ready to take the relationship to the next level.
You see, with someone we don’t trust or like, we usually don’t get very vulnerable.
On the other hand, if we are catching feelings for someone, their presence might feel safe, which causes us to open up more.
In general, if you’re spending a lot of time with someone and you’re opening up about yourself, it could be a sign that the two of you are becoming closer.
Sometimes when we have casual partners, it feels like we can’t tell them our deepest secrets or share our darkest fears, because they will judge us or think we’re crazy.
But when you are in a relationship with someone and they are willing to listen to your problems, this is a good sign that they care and want to help.
On the other hand, if your casual partner is not willing to listen to your problems or try to help you solve them, this could mean that they don’t care about you at all.
It’s important to be aware of whether or not the feelings you have are mutual or if you are being delusional.
You don’t want to open up and then end up getting hurt.
6) You feel like telling your partner “I love you”
It’s normal to feel an intense connection with your partner and to want to express it by saying, “I love you.”
In a casual relationship, it isn’t super normal, so feeling the urge to express your feelings for your partner says quite a lot!
However, if you feel the urge to tell your casual partner “I love you,” and they don’t say it back, it could mean that they don’t feel the same way and they aren’t interested in moving the relationship forward.
In this case, I would simply take a step back and distance myself from the relationship.
You are looking for two different things, and that will only lead to heartache further down the line.
That being said, if your partner doesn’t say it back but they still want to be together and have a serious relationship with you, they may not be ready to say the words “I love you,” but they do like you and are ready to be in a serious relationship with you.
You see, for some people, it’s just difficult to say these particular words, and it might take them some time to be able to say them.
This is why it’s important to be patient and not pressure your partner to say those words.
You may want to try saying them first, like “I like you” or “I care about you.”
If they are not ready to say those words yet, that’s fine because it just means that your relationship is still new and there are many things you can do without saying the words “I love you” at this stage.
They won’t feel pressured if they aren’t ready yet.
7) You can talk for hours
Casual relationships are great for spending lots of time just sleeping with each other, but if you and your partner are regularly talking for hours on the phone and in person, it could mean that you’re getting more serious and are open to a deeper connection.
If you’re in a casual relationship and you notice that you and your partner are regularly spending hours talking — whether it be in person or over the phone — it could be a sign that you’re getting more serious and ready to move the relationship forward.
You see, there is really no reason for you two to be talking this much unless you both have feelings for one another.
Think about it: talking to someone for hours means that you have a deeper connection and are getting closer.
This is a good sign that you and your partner are ready to start dating.
And the best part?
The best relationships are based on a solid friendship where you could talk for hours on end.
This is how you get to know someone the best!
8) You both start to experience jealousy
If you and your partner start to experience jealousy and feel threatened by other people who are interested in you, it could mean that you’re both getting more serious and want to protect the relationship you have together.
If your casual partner reacts with jealousy when another person shows interest in you, it could be a sign that they want to protect their relationship with you and are ready to take it to the next level.
You see, in a casual relationship, there is no need to be jealous.
You are friends with benefits, and what you do in your free time is your own business.
However, when you start to get jealous, that’s when you know that something is up.
Jealousy is a way for humans to “defend their territory”, so as soon as you feel jealous, it means that a part of you has caught feelings for someone.
9) You know each other’s friends and family
If you and your casual partner are spending a lot of time together, it’s likely that you’ll start to see each other’s friends and family.
You may also want to give your partner access to your friends and family — and if you’re willing to do that, it could mean that you are ready to take the relationship to the next level.
Also, if your partner spends time with your family, they may feel more comfortable bringing up the topic of a more serious relationship with you.
You see, when you are already at the point of introducing someone to friends and family, the question is truly “why haven’t you made it official, yet?”.
Frankly, there is not bigger sign that you are both ready for something serious than that.
10) You can imagine a future with them
If you can imagine a future with your casual partner — whether it be in a few months or a few decades — it could be a sign that you’re ready to take the relationship to the next level.
If you’ve been dating your casual partner for a while and you find yourself thinking about the future with them, you may want to consider taking the relationship to the next level.
Now: you might not be sure how they feel about the situation, but trust me, it’s better to find out immediately and spare yourself pain, than to keep pretending you don’t care about them.
If they don’t like you like that, you can always leave and heal.
11) You have little fights
A little fight from time to time is normal in a relationship, but if you and your casual partner regularly have small tiffs, it could mean that you’re both getting more serious and want to make sure that you’re on the same page.
If you’re in a casual relationship and you notice that you and your partner are regularly getting into little fights, it could be a sign that you’re ready to get into a serious relationship.
Let me explain:
In a casual relationship, everything is, well, casual.
There is no reason to be fighting about anything because fighting means that there are heightened emotions involved.
Now: if you start to fight a bit more with your partner, that is a sign that you are both emotionally invested and ready for a more serious relationship!
12) When you can’t see them, you miss them
When you’re in a casual relationship, you don’t have to spend every minute with your partner, so sometimes you have time apart.
But if you regularly miss your partner when you don’t see them, it could be a sign that you want to be together more.
If you and your partner have been seeing each other for a while and you regularly miss each other when you aren’t together, it could be a sign that you’re ready to take the relationship to the next level.
You see, you don’t usually miss someone unless you have feelings for them to some degree!
13) Give it time
When you’re in a casual relationship, it’s important to remember that it’s not going to be a quick and easy progression to a serious relationship.
It may take some time, and you may need to communicate with your partner to let them know how you’re feeling.
If you’re interested in taking the relationship to a deeper level, you can’t expect your partner to read your mind — so put yourself out there and communicate how you’re feeling!
