I (27M) have been best friends with this girl (27F) for about 3 years. Four months ago, after her breakup, we got romantically involved — sort of a situationship. It was my first experience with a girl, so things moved slowly. It took me 2 months to work up to kissing her — my first kiss ever.

While we were still figuring things out, she mentioned she matched with a guy on Tinder and was going to meet him. That really shook me. I felt panic, insecurity, and rushed things a bit after that. We ended up getting naked, hugging, rubbing — no sex, so I’m still a virgin.

Then she told me she was going to lunch with that guy. After that, I emotionally pulled back — no more late-night talks or deep convos. My confidence had taken a hit. She also became less clingy — probably because she’s getting attention from him. Meanwhile, my desperation grew, but I tried not to show it. After the second date, she told me that she wants things to be platonic from then onwards.

Fast forward to last night: I was at her place from 6 PM to midnight. In the beginning, we kept a respectful distance. We talked about life, school, exams — normal stuff. She also mentioned the other guy. It’s been 2 months, and they’ve only gone on 4 day dates and mostly just text on WhatsApp.

After dinner, We talked about geography (her favorite topic), and she started getting more physically close again. She made a comment about her arms looking fat, and while I was hold her arms, I teased her (playfully) about a pimple under her arm. She laughed and laid her head on my lap.

Then she got up, said her stomach was bloated and looked bad. I tried to joke again, but it fell flat. She just stared at me like, “Really?” and walked off to get water. I felt like I killed the vibe and then planned to go back home 1pm. Before I leaving, I went in for a hug — she was on her phone watching Reels and barely noticed that I hugged her. There was no response from her, and it felt like I was desperate.

Now I’m stuck. I still have feelings for her, but I know she’s keeping her options open. Sometimes she acts warm, other times distant. I don’t want a full-on relationship, but I’m craving intimacy and comfort — and I feel emotionally safe with her. I’ve been thinking about bringing up the idea of a FWB (friends with benefits) arrangement, but I don’t want to seem needy or destroy the friendship. Because she was the one who said to keep it platonic.

She’s mentally strong and confident, but she sometimes teases me like this (not with naked photos, but by asking how does my body looks), that she’s still interested in something. I just can’t tell what.

How do I even bring this up without sounding desperate or making it awkward? Anyone been through something similar?