How To Tell If You're Dating, Seeing Each Other, Or Just Hooking Up
I think most of us can agree that at this point, milennial dating culture is pretty fking wack. In the modern day down-in-the-DM-life we live, it can be hard to determine how serious, or not serious, you and your boo may be.
All the different social media platforms add additional pressure on our relationships in what we 'should' or 'shouldn't be doing. Is it okay to put you on my snap story?? Can I add your buddy on Facebook? Is it too soon to post an Insta together? Who the frick knows.
While I do love a right swipe as much as the next girl, the age of internet dating has definitely blurred the lines as to what to expect in terms of relationship progression.
You can meet a cute, funny, chill person and hang out with them for months with a big question mark floating over your head. Is that your boyfriend/girlfriend? A person you're seeing? Just someone you're talking to? Every person-to-person experience is definitely different, but here are some ways to narrow down the different between dating, seeing eachother, or just hooking-up.
1. You're seeing a lot of eachother (and not a lot of other people)
By a lot, we mean time-wise - not body wise. If you're clocking a weekly spot with your bae, this is a great sign that they value your time together. Casual snaps and texts throughout the week definitely bank you a couple points, too, as you're becoming apart of their day-to-day life. A consistent 2AM "U up?"text does not count.
2. You've gone out/met their friends
No one brings their bootycall to the bar with the crew. That's what sloppy, end-of-night snap-texts are for. If you caught an invite to the pregame or hung out with them at an event, your guy/gal wants to show you off - and might be looking at their friends for a stamp of approval.
3. You talk about future plans
"We should totally do that," or "I need to take you here," are great things to hear your bae say. Though we're all prone to empty promises sometimes, it's rare that you'd say "let's hang out" to someone who's personality is drier than the Sahara. They like you, and they wanna keep doing cool shit with you. That's dope.
4. Your 'date night' is in a primetime slot
If you're seeing your S.O on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday - oh baby. You've made it. This is prime going out time that they could easily reserve for friends or other dates for crying out loud. But they're not out with them - they're out with you! This also applies to days off for all our homies out there who aren't working 9-5s.
5. You're doing fun things together (clothed)
Yes, sexual chemistry with a partner is crucial to a healthy relationship - but so are companionship, shared interests and personality traits. If you are out and about trying new things and making fun memories - outside the sheets - there's a good chance they want to do more than hook-up with you.
6. You talk and text on the reg
You message eachother about your days, what's going on, and how life is going. Why? Because you care. If you can't go a day without messaging eachother or feel weird not hearing from them for a couple hours, it's probably a thing.
7. You feel like you should delete your dating apps
Because you're in a good place and that's a great feeling. If you glance at your S.O's phone and there isn't a campfire or a buzzing bee, maybe you're on the same page. However, if your friends catch their profiles while swiping, it might not be as serious as you think. Which leads us to the last point -
8. You've had 'the talk'
If you find yourself catching some questionable feels, it might be time to discuss wtf you're doing. Let's face it, no one wants to be in a relationship where they're constantly asking themselves questions or feeling less than important. Yeah, it might be a little awkward but it's better than being in the dark. Worse case, they're just into something casual - at which point you can decide if you want to kick it label-less, or just kick'em to the curb. Goodluck!