A Guy-Friend? Difference between Boyfriend and Guy Friend

Hollywood loves to paint friendships between men and women as always leading to something more than just friends. We’ve seen endless films where the best guy friend harbors a one-sided crush on their girl best friend or vice versa. Can a girl and a guy be just friends? Can this dynamic not need to lead to anything sexual and stay platonic? Despite what many believe, it really can just remain platonic. Here’s why. 

The first thing to keep in mind if you want your friendship not to overstep the “just friends” stage is that boundaries are necessary. Maintaining platonic things between you and your guy friend requires boundaries like not stepping into the sensual zone. When conversations always turn sensual, things get iffy. Sexual attraction is inevitable. It is how you manage and respond to these urges that will define your relationship with your guy or girlfriend. 

Some boundaries you can set include no constant flirting. Flirting here and it is alright, but sometimes harmless flirting could lead to some tugging heartstrings in one person. Maybe your guy or girlfriend is a flirt by nature, but if you start to enjoy and crave more of their attention, things could get tricky. If you begin to imagine them being more than just your friend, then it’s time to reevaluate your choices. If you’re both single though, then why not. However, do remember that if he or she is your best friend, if things don’t end well between the two of you, you’ll lose not only your partner but also your best friend. 

Girls and guys can be friends if there is proper communication present in the relationship. Communication is crucial to sidestep the “I’m falling for my best friend” trap. (It’s not always a trap, but let’s call it one for article’s sake). Ask each other the hard questions. Address the elephant in the room. When you start to notice the advances and change of tone towards you, then address the issue. Don’t shrug it off or put it aside for tomorrow. The longer you let the tension grow, the harder it will be to get out of it. A girl and a guy can be just friends with proper communication and boundaries. 

A guy friend is someone you get along with, share secrets with, hang out with, enjoy being with, minus anything sexual. Sometimes, the picture gets murky when one friend starts to develop feelings for the other, but at the end of the day, it will all depend on how you act on those feelings. A guy friend is someone you can talk about anything with- life worries, sports, the latest news. It’s basically a friend who just so happens to be of the opposite gender. 

A friend is someone who has your back no matter what. They support you and help you during your tough times. A friend is someone who is not scared to call you out for your mistakes. A friend is someone you share a mutual bond of affection with. All of these are what define what a guy friend is to you. The level of friendship boils down to how close you are with one another. A guy friend is your partner in crime. 

There is no one specific thing you can do with just guy friends. No matter what the gender, you typically do the same things with guy or girlfriends. You can hang out and chill with your guy friends. You can watch a movie together with a group of your other friends or even just the two of you if that’s your cup of tea. You can have lunch together or head to that latest game you both have been dying to watch live. There are endless things you can do with your guy friends. The only difference is that there is nothing sexual in the interactions. 

If you begin to have thoughts like “I wish I could do these things with my boyfriend or I wish my boyfriend were like so-and-so,” better take a step back and check where your heart stands. Guy friends should stay in the circle of what you’re supposed to do only with friends circle. If you start to have romantic feelings for your guy friend, better do a heart check. Timing is critical when it comes to things like these if you’re both single and ready to mingle, why not, but if one of you is taken and you begin to develop feelings for the other then its time to dig deep into your feelings and see where you stand. 

The defining factor that sets apart a platonic relationship from that of a romantic is none other than the romance. Kissing, hand-holding, sex- all of these are what you can do with your boyfriend. You can also do these things with your best friend, but you wouldn’t call them your best friend anymore then. The presence of romance is what sets apart a boyfriend from a partner. 

Apart from the physical aspect, there also lies an emotional bond that you can only have with boyfriends. Sometimes, when you start to depend on your boy pals emotionally more than on your boyfriend, things can get tricky. Emotional cheating is just as frowned upon as physical cheating. Your boyfriend should be someone you can trust with your deepest darkest secrets. They should be someone you can be yourself around. They should be someone you can open up to about everything and anything. Boyfriends and boy pals are two different concepts. 

A guy friend can definitely become a boyfriend. Many times boyfriends actually start out as guy friends. It’s easier because you don’t need to go through the getting to know each other stage. Going out with someone you’re already close with is great because you already know so much about each other and are already past the uncomfortable stage. 

A guy friend turning into your boyfriend is a double-edged sword. While all the happy feelings you’ve been suppressing can finally be free, there’s also the trouble of things not working out and you're losing both your partner and best friend. It’s best to know what you’re getting yourself into when you decide to date your best guy friend. While things are great and happy, when problems arise, and no compromise can fix the situation, you’re in for a lot of trouble. 

Finding out if a guy friend has feelings for you can be a joyous or worrisome event. If you like the guy as well, then their confession might be the start of a great relationship that has been waiting to happen, and if you don’t feel the same way, prepare yourself for some awkward times ahead. 

If a guy friend has feelings for you, you start to notice that they treat you differently than they treat your other friends, especially other girls in your circle of friends. Do you notice them taking note of the things you like or the happenings in your life? Do you notice them asking if you’ve eaten or how you feel that day? If a guy is interested in you, they would want to make time for you and want to talk to you and get to know you. 

A guy friend that has feelings for you would want to be your confidant or knight in shining armor. They would like to hear about what’s been bothering you and what you will be doing. They would also want to defend you when the need arises, treat you like a princess, or make you feel special in any shape or form they can. It’s hard to read on to what people are feeling and if you want to know the answer, ask them. 

The heart wants what it can’t have. Differentiating between a guy friend and a boyfriend does not take rocket science. A close guy friend is just like a girl close friend. But a boyfriend is someone more than just a friend. It’s not hard to realize if a close guy friend wants to be more than just a friend. Sexual tension is hard to miss, and the more you put it aside, the stronger it becomes. You either tame it or let it be. 

You’re lucky if you’re in love with your best friend. Not everyone gets to experience this great dynamic that does not come often: treasure and nurture that relationship to its utmost capacity.