18+ Please: Is this considered dating? What would you call this relationship?

Question

Me and my guy are both in our mid-twenties and have openly expressed that we like each other. We met when I was out-of-town, and so keep in touch through email/phone. We've agreed to get to know each other... So is this considered "dating" (even though we aren't physically going places together)? Or the early stages of a relationship?

What's your take?

Answer 1

I would consider this an early stage of a relationship.

For me, dating is defined as going out with that one person, exclusively.

Answer 2

It's the early stages of a relationship. Dating is meeting the other person. In order to really find out if you two are a match you have to talk face to face, it's impossible to tell by just phoning and remaining in touch via the internet. You have to really find out if you both have a common link. Right now you only know that you have mutual attraction towards each other but in order to have a successful relationship you need to be able to really communicate in person to find out if you have similar viewpoints, if there is mutual respect, trust and honesty and deeper feelings or if this is mainly a physical attraction... so it's the early stages and hopefully you can change it from just writing and phoning into seeing each other...and date to really find out if you both ''click'' as a couple ..

Answer 3

It's definately a form of dating. I mean you've listed all the basics: you both like each other and want to see if it can go somewhere. There's nothing wrong with taking it slow to see if an arrangement of living circumstances needs to be altered.

It may seem like it's just a friendship without those extras but there's nothing wrong with that either. Relationships cannot function without "liking" each other. For instance I loved my last boyfriend, but I realized I didn't really "like" him.

But I think in order to get it beyond the friendship mark, you should get together on an acutal date once in a while. At least once in a while.

Have you asked him if he's seeing anyone else? If you feel it's too hard to ask him because you feel it's not really your place to ask him then either the 'relationship' is too new or it's just not right some other way.

Wait for that comfort level but I think you should be meeting each other in person at least sometimes if either of you expect it to go any further than emails.

Good Luck!