(carbonara and a side salad w/ lemon and olive oil)

  
I've always thought myself to be someone that can maintain friendships with women without letting things get complicated. Most of my friendships are with women and I take some pride in being the "safe" guy friend; still am.

But lately my closeness with one of my coworkers has made me start to genuinely see her in a different light, and I don't know how to proceed.

We've been coworkers for about a year now and have been in the same circles for the entire time, gradually getting more familiar (going out about every night for a drink, brunches often, and great platonic chemistry at work. I talk (and get teased about her) to my family all the time and I've felt so luckily to have such a great friend.

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This past few weeks has felt a little bit different. We've been hanging out every single day, and has invited me in for wine and just a chit chat on multiple occasions. We hug and tell eachother I love you often. Didn't really make me think about compromising the friendship and was content with having someone so close, but the other day I went in to work and seeing her was striking. She looked incredibly gorgeous in a way I had never (let myself?) notice before and I was getting a little bit nervous talking to her. Tonight she's coming over to let me cook her a steak and drink a little bit.

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All of this sounds like the perfect love story in my head, but I have a couple hangups.

\-She's talked with me about a guy before and has been seeing for a little while, and they just recently stopped talking. I don't want to be viewed as someone that was waiting around for my opportunity, because I genuinely have not been.

\-She's my coworker.

\-She might just be like this with everyone/see me as a girlfriend.

  
Now wtf do I do.

(additional context we are midtwenties)



Let myself fall in love with my best friend, don't know what to do next.