Are you just a friend or potential boyfriend for her???

Before asking a girl out, knowing whether she sees you as ‘just a friend’ or a ‘potential boyfriend’ can help a great deal. Here are the signs to watch out for

But what if she doesn’t see me ‘that’ way?’ is a guy’s perpetual query. And women, with their read-me-if-you-can approach, make it difficult for men who are no mind-readers. Most men would rather look for someone who’s ‘interested’ than pursue a girl for whom they are nothing more than a late-night chauffer. So how do you know whether a girl considers you just a strong shoulder to cry on, or something more? Youngsters Anisha Ghurye, Smita Padmanabhan, Nandini Sharma, Kshitij Barot, Tulika Sodera and Suresh Petkar helps you decode the signals. Here goes:


YOU ARE JUST A FRIEND IF…
You know her embarrassing moments
Yes, she looks hot when she dresses up. But if she doesn’t mind meeting you in a decade-old ganji, looking distinctly unsexy, well, you are not the one she dresses up specially for. She will allow you to see her in all her moods and has no qualms in discussing womanly issues with her girlfriends even when you are around.



She doesn’t laugh at your jokes
If you cannot make the girl laugh, forget any relationship with her. No girl wants to end up with a guy who consistently throws bouncers that go straight above her head. It needn’t mean you get a joke book. It only means that your sense of humour is different from hers, and the fact that she doesn’t appreciate yours shows that you arejust a friend.



She cancels on you, all the time
Everything seems to be more important than you — from the beauty parlour appointment to the dog’s monthly vet visit. When it comes to the priority graph, you stand in the negative. Bottom line: if her favourite line is ‘Relax, we can always go later’ then, my friend, you are just a you-know-what.



She’s isn’t refined for you
Even the cattiest woman would act like Audrey Hepburn in front of guys she sees as potential boyfriends. But, if this girl gives you an unedited lowdown or her bitch-a-thon sessions, sorry dude, you arejust a friend, someone who she expects to listen and nod in agreement.

A POTENTIAL BOYFRIEND IF…
She touches…often
But wait, the million-dollar word here is ‘how’. If she loves pulling your hair and punching your shoulder, ahem, sorry strong boy, you arejust a friend . To ascertain if you are a potential, go for finer details. If she doesn’t mind casually patting your thighs, running her hands in your hair and insists on giving you a neck massage, get the hint.

She doesn’t discuss guys with you
If you are a potential, very rarely, you would hear of guys who she likes. Or, she might also start ‘toning down’ details. That candlelight dinner will turn into ‘just a quick bite’ and that hunk who reminds her of things she would want to do to George Clooney will be mentioned as someone ‘Ok looking’.

She doesn’t correct you
If your mentioning Bihar as the capital of Patna doesn’t evoke a response, either she is indifferent or she might see you as a boyfriend. Meaning, a girl who sees you ‘that’ way will try her best to agree with whatever you say (the correcting part comes later, remember?) If your occasional grammatical errors are overlooked, go boy, go!

She praises you often
No matter what you do, she seems to ‘like’ it, from that rugged T-shirt to that 'witty' offhand remark you made. Her praising you more often signals that she wouldn’t mind being more than just friends. You feel women score low on logic, but they know exactly what’s needed to massage the male ego.