Hello seddit, please excuse the throwaway account.

I am a typically very successful male romantically and in relationships. I've been with an above average number of women for a guy my age and I've never felt the need for advice or help. I've generally looked down on the whole "PUA" phenomenon as being a contrivance. Well, here I am in humble supplication and ready to eat my crow in return for the input and thoughts of the PUA community here. I've even gone so far as to read up on and use PUA terminology just to show you guys I mean it.

I met this girl almost three years ago on the local college campus and spontaneously took her out to an all-night diner at 4 AM for coffee and waffles. Our friendship took very fast and naturally, but I did not make any moves: I am a picky fellow, and I like to know as much about a woman as possible before I decide whether I really am interested or not. I've had plenty of one night stands and those no longer interest me - I'm all about the LTR.

Well, as it were a fellow made a move on her before I was done deciding if she was for me or not. This did not bother me for even an instant, the jury was still out anyway.

I eventually came to the conclusion that she presented a more compelling romantic possibility to me than any female I'd met in recent memory, but I hardly gave it any thought as she was already chest deep in a LTR with the Early Bird. It so happens I do have a code of ethics and Early Bird is a friend. Double no-no.

Well, fast forward three years. Early Bird pulls a dick move and dumps her on the Holidays, while she is out of town visiting him at his family's place. She was forced to have a family friend come get her.

It had been quite a while since we had spent time together, so I took her out to see a movie in a very casual sense after her return. Tried to help her take her mind off of her situation.

Well, fate conspired to bring us together on New Year's Eve, and we both ended up pretty drunk. She asked me to take her home with me, under the pretense of escaping her new roommates. I did so, and before I even knew it, we were fucking. When we woke up sober, we took a shower together, and fucked again.

It was hard rebound sex. I know this. We remained very close physically for the rest of the time we spent together that night and day. I figure she just had a need for comfort, and I just couldn't turn away from the opportunity to hold a wonderful woman in my arms. She expressed disorientation - "I don't know what this is," she told me.

I told her it could be whatever she wanted it to be, and that there was no need for her to worry or stress over it. She could decide how she wanted things to be, and I would be fine with it either way. As much as it may have served my desires to put pressure on her in some way to lean in one direction or another, that is not how I operate. My principles dictated my response. I did not want her to experience any more emotional turmoil than she was already dealing with.

A little less than a week later, circumstances found us together and alone, and she took the opportunity to tell me "I don't think I could see you being more than a friend to me"

That night we stayed together and talked until the sun came up. There were many IOI from her, but I brushed them off. I felt that the situation had become quite delicate, and had decided by this point that I was interested in a LTR.

Despite her essentially dropping the friend-zone anvil on my head, I have a strong gut feeling that it may not be the end of the story. There seems to be a mutual attraction between us. As friends, there was always casual, low-level incidental and some overt kino between us typically initiated by her. Since our fling, there has been none: she's trying to suppress.

This woman just had a 3 year long relationship end suddenly on her. I feel like there is a distinct possibility of eventually initiating a LTR even despite what she told me. For this to even be conceivable, I would need to put energy into the process over the course of several months. She was too emotionally invested in Early Bird to be ready for anything yet. I am, at least, a very patient fellow.

However, I find that there are a great many things about this woman that are truly admirable and beautiful. If I spend the time and energy to attempt to initiate, I will inevitably begin to have more serious feelings for her. I am a human, not a robot. I can suppress, but there are limits.

So here are my options, boiled down as best as I can:

Be present, spend a lot of time around her, plant a few thought seeds, and fan the flames of our mutual attraction very gradually and gently for 2-3 months. Pay close attention. Finally, when the time is right, cross my fingers and revisit the idea of us being together. If she says no, it will sting and I'll have wasted 2-3 valuable months of my time that I could have spent seeking another potential partner.

My other option is to totally forget about it and move on. This would be my default choice, but I feel like this situation is unique. I searched reddit/seddit and other PUA sites quite thoroughly before I chose to write this post. I found nothing similar enough to apply.

** So what do you think Sedditors? Am I really in the friend zone just because she says I am, despite all the evidence? Is it worth putting some time into this and trying in another couple of months? **

I need thoughts from other guys who are fairly experienced in matters of love. Stories about similar situations either concluded or developing are welcome.

** As there is so little about "Breaking out" of the friend zone, I will provide a full followup/FR post concerning this situation and its conclusion depending on how much interest seddit takes in it. A valuable case study, perhaps? **

Thanks to all of you who read this far, for both your time and thoughts. Apologies for the long read, I've always been quite long winded.