How to Ask a Friend Out for a Date

by Heather Tomasello, Staff Writer

Most people agree that good friends make great girlfriends and boyfriends. You've even seen the wedding invitations that read "Today I Marry my Best Friend." Dating someone who has been a friend decreases the awkwardness of getting to know one another.

You already like and trust your friend and have a shared past, a context in which to create a new relationship. In dating a friend you aren't starting over but adding a new dimension to a relationship that you already value.

That said, trying to start a dating relationship with a friend can be like skating on thin ice. What if she considers you more like a brother than a lover? What is he doesn't want to risk losing your friendship and refuses you? Is it all worth it?

The last is a question that only you can answer. If you decide that you are ready to swallow your fears and ask your friend for a date, keep the following suggestions in mind:

Be Clear

"I'd, uh, kinda maybe like to take you out sometime."

My great friend John and I were having another one of our late-night conversation marathons when, in a moment of silence, he had nervously blurted out those words. He stared at me, waiting for a response.