Perils of modern-day dating: 5 weird relationship stages

1 The one-night stand: From films to media to your friends, all have stood testimony to the fact you’re either going to sleep with her or not on the very first date. Regardless of whether you’ve met — through common friends, social networking site, on the street or in the office— it will just add up to you having either a successful or a failed one night stand.

2 Friends with benefits: After a round of one-night stands and booty calls, you finally stumble onto the stage where she matters to you more than your mug of beer. It’s finally time to put in time and effort in the relationship, and to get to know the other person, albeit keeping the sex as is. Yes, you’re friends with benefits. You’re going to talk, but romance will still be elusive.

3 The short fling: Not sure how but you’ve managed to get yourself go on many dates with her and after a couple of dates, it turns out you’re not really interested in her. And for the most part— the feeling is mutual. You enjoy each other’s company, but don’t see yourself together in the long run. Flings are fun and harmless, and should be enjoyed while they last.

4 The ‘it’s complicated’ stage: It’s one step ahead of fling — but is a stepping stone that will pretty much define the course of your relationship. This is that stage where one of you probably begins to consider the other a real partner. The other, however, is still looking to jump into someone else’s pants. That said, one of you is definitely going to get hurt in the process. So, you can either have a backup or you can really work towards it to move to the next stage.

5 The girlfriend: Congratulations, you can finally update your status on Facebook and make it official. Allow yourself to indulge in romance and finally develop feelings for your girlfriend. Although it doesn’t mean this will culminate into something more intimate— like marriage. However, the best you can do is what you did during the ‘fling’ stage — enjoy it while it lasts.

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