But if she’s been giving signs she wants to be your girlfriend, you may not be sure how to recognize them.
What if you’re only seeing what you want to see?
How will you know when she is ready for a relationship?
If she’s giving signs she wants to be exclusive with you, reading this post will give you the tools to recognize those signs and respond to them appropriately. Does she want a relationship? Read on to find out.
How to Tell If She Wants a Serious Relationship with You
Aside from anything you might see in her behavior toward you or in the words she uses, it’s important to know whether you want a serious relationship with her. The more you do, the more she’s likely to pick up on your signals and show more of her own, including the following:
Body language — leaning toward you, touching you, smiling more.Laughing at your jokes — even when they’re not funny. Being real with you — because she doesn’t feel that she has to hide her true selfBetter mood when you’re around — She perks up when she sees you. Sharing her secrets — because she trusts you and wants a closer relationship
If you see any of the following signs she wants to date you exclusively, it’s time to talk to her about where you both see the relationship headed. Watch for the following signs and think about your internal reactions to each one.
1. She changes her habits to spend more time with you.
Maybe she used to spend certain days of the week with her friends. Or maybe she’s always spent certain times of the day alone doing her own thing. But now, she’s making more room in her schedule for you — even declining invitations from friends to hang out. She’s even asking if you want to do something together during her usual alone time. If she’s an introvert, this is huge. It’s clear she wants to make you a bigger part of her life. If she didn’t see any kind of future with you, she’d be less inclined to change her routines for you.
2. She asks if you’ve deleted the dating app from your phone.
Chances are, you don’t bother keeping phone apps you’re not using. And if you’ve deleted the dating app you used to meet her (or someone else), it tells her you’re no longer looking for someone to date — because you’ve got her. If she’s showing signs of wanting to be your girlfriend, she’ll want to see signs that you see her that way. Keeping the app to “keep your options open” tells her you don’t.
3. She asks if you’re dating anyone else.
She might come right out and ask if you’re dating someone else. Or she might lead by letting you know she’s not dating anyone else and wait for you to tell her the same. However she goes about asking, if she sees you as someone she wants to be serious with, she’ll want to see the same inclination from you. If you’re still dating others, that’s a clear sign to her that you don’t feel the same way. If she is the only one you’re dating, she’s likely to show more signs she wants a serious relationship with you.
4. She asks if you see yourself getting married or having children.
If she’s interested in marriage, she’s likely to only bring that up with a guy she sees as marriage material. If she wants kids, she’ll want to know if you want kids, too. On the other hand, if she doesn’t want kids, she’ll want to know you don’t expect her to put your career on the back burner so she can have your babies. In either case, she’ll want to make sure you’re both on the same page. If she’s asking this question, she’s definitely thinking of taking your relationship to the next level.
5. She’s creating a scrapbook/photo album for the two of you.
I’m assuming here that you’re not just a one-page feature in a scrapbook about her dating history. If your names are the only ones in the scrapbook’s title, you’re golden. Keeping pictures of you and your adventures together in her home is a clear sign she wants you around for more than just the random date.
6. She’s looking at bride magazines or books on marriage.
If you’re looking at her reading material, and you’re seeing bride magazines or books on marriage or serious relationships — open or made clearly visible — it’s a good sign she’s thinking of something beyond casual dating. Try going book shopping with her and see what she’s most interested in reading. There’s no guarantee she’ll gravitate toward books and magazines about marriage or weddings. But it can’t hurt to know what she’s interested in reading, anyway.
7. She wants to tackle her bucket list with you.
If she has a bucket list, and she wants you to be part of checking things off of it, that’s a strong sign she wants to be exclusive with you. She probably wouldn’t ask some random guy to go skydiving with her or to take a trip to the country of her ancestors. Whatever it is, she wants you there for it. Take her bucket list as seriously as you take her. At the very least, if she’s including you in something so close to her heart, she thinks of you as someone worthy of that confidence.
8. She makes a financial investment in your relationship.
If she’s investing money in things she wants to do with you — movies, theatrical performances, exclusive events, travel plans, etc. — she’s definitely thinking of you as someone worth a significant expense of time, money, and energy. She probably wouldn’t invest much (if any) of her personal resources on a guy she only saw as a once-in-a-while-if-I’m-desperate dating partner. The fact that she’s spending her own money on something she wants to do with you says she’s willing to make some sacrifices to spend more time with you.
9. She asks to meet your family and/or friends.
She wants to meet the people who’ve known you longer than she has. She wants to know the people you love and who love you back. She wants to know them, because she wants to join that inner circle and be as much a fixture in your life as they are. And since she also wants you to be part of hers, she’s likely to invite you to family functions so you can meet and get to know her family.
10. She buys or makes things for your family members.
If she hits it off with your family — or even if the first meeting doesn’t go as well as she’d hoped — she may make or buy something for your close family members as a peace offering or to show her appreciation for them. Maybe she just wants to thank them for their role in your becoming the person you are. She doesn’t expect them to be perfect or to welcome you without reservations. But she hopes they’ll warm up to her when they realize how good you are for each other.
11. She’s less inhibited with PDA.
If she’s more inclined to show affection toward you in public (assuming you’re on board with that), she probably sees you as exclusive boyfriend material. At least she’s not hiding her romantic feelings toward you. Maybe she’s not all over you, but she’s perfectly fine with people seeing you as a couple. So while she’ll still respect your preferences regarding PDA, she clearly wants to show how she feels about you. 13 Warning Signs Of A Self-Centered and Self-Absorbed Person 11 Undeniable Signs It’s Time To Let Go Of A Relationship Am I In Love? 21 Undeniable Signs You Are
12. She expects more from you.
She’s not going to expect much from a guy she’s dated once or twice and whom she doesn’t see as commitment material. If she’s expecting you to show up at a specific time, showing up late or not at all will hurt her more if she sees you as someone who might feel the same way about her as she feels about you. Being late (without a good reason) or not showing up tells her you probably don’t. If she expects behavior appropriate to a committed relationship, she likely sees you as someone with whom she wants that kind of relationship.
13. She’s not afraid to be around you without make-up.
Women will often test a guy by letting him see the way she looks without make-up on. After all, that’s how she looks in the morning. And if you expect her to always be picture-perfect for you, she’ll know by your reaction. It’s not that she’s no longer interested in looking her best. She just wants to know that you’ll be crazy about her even when she doesn’t.
14. She talks about getting a pet (especially a dog).
If she’s talking about getting a dog, there’s a decent chance she’s thinking of it as practice for having kids — or at least that she wants to raise a “baby” with you. Dogs are a huge commitment (especially if she brings home a puppy), and if she wants you to be involved in its care, she sees you as a partner and as a potential daddy for your future children. If you’re allergic to certain animals or just not interested in helping out with the pet care, now would be the time to tell her.
15. She talks about moving in together.
Maybe she’s invited you to shop with her for housewares. Or maybe she’s showing you ads for apartments in the area. Maybe she’s come right out and asked what you think about moving in together. In any case, she clearly wants a serious relationship with you — possibly one leading to marriage and/or children. She might also start talking about pets, carpooling, home decorating, getting new furniture, putting stuff in storage, etc.
16. She remembers the smallest things about you.
You thought she wasn’t paying attention, but then she did something to show you that those little details matter to her. Maybe she remembered how much you love sour gummies — but only the citrus-flavored ones. Or maybe she cooked you dinner and plated it up, keeping in mind how much you hate it when the different foods are touching. She remembers because she wants to.
17. She does something special to show her affection.
This could be something difficult for her or something she wouldn’t do for anyone else. Maybe she’ll go to extra lengths to look her best for a date with you. Or maybe she’ll make something for you to address a particular need or interest of yours. She might also surprise you with tickets to a show she knows you’ve wanted to see. Whatever she does, though, it’s all to show her affection for you. She wants you to know you’re on her mind — that she can’t walk past anything that reminds her of you.
18. She asks you point-blank where you see the relationship going?
Here’s where things get even more obvious. You could be in the middle of a relaxing date night with her and suddenly she’ll ask, “Where do you see us a year from now?” or “What do you want from this relationship?” It’s best you know now how to answer those questions, even if your current answer is “I don’t know yet.” She’ll want an honest answer, even if it’s not the one she wants to hear. She asks because she’s thinking of a future with you. And she wants to know if the interest is mutual.
19. She drops the L-bomb.
If she suddenly blurts out the words “I love you,” things are getting serious. And no matter what led up to the L-bomb, she’ll want to know whether or not you feel comfortable saying it right back to her. Of all the signs she wants a serious relationship with you, this one comes the closest to flashing neon. Do you or don’t you love her back? Because she’s putting herself out there. And she wouldn’t do that if she didn’t consider you worth the risk. Do you recognize any of these signs she wants a serious relationship with you? Now that you’ve looked through all 19 signs she wants to be your girlfriend, which ones stood out for you the most? If you’re still not sure she wants your relationship to be exclusive, there are a number of ways to get that discussion started:
Surprise her with something you know she loves. Make her a mix tape of songs that remind you of her. Take her to something you enjoy and see how she behaves.
Respect your time — and hers — enough to be transparent about what you want from the relationship. Then you can both decide where to go from there.
