6TheSafetyCrushCute^banter,^do- m
e^eye^locks,lingering-a-bit-too- lo
nghugs...exceptnothingsexual^ hasreallyhappenedhere^because^it’s^too^nicetoliveinthatearlyrelationship- e
squebubble^whereshit^can’t^ possibly^gowrong.7ThePlus-One^Whodoesn’t^lovethatlifesaver^whowillsuit^ up^for^ everything^fromyour^ officeholidaypartytoyoursororitysister’swedding—noquestionsasked?^Peoplethink^you^lookgreattogether,^ butyouhave^noreal^ sparkoffthe^dance^floor.^
8TheExpirationDateYou^like^eachotherandare“dat-ing”for^ all^intents^and^purposes—exceptthere’s^a^hardstop^when^you^knowyou’llneed^tocutthingsoff.^Maybethey’reabouttomove^acrossthe^country^orthisisafunsummerfling^beforeschool^ starts.9TheBreadcrumberTheythrowout“crumbs”^ofatten-tion—sporadicflirty^texts,commentsonyour^ ’grams,super- v
agueplan^suggestions—tokeep^yourinterestbut^ neverfollowthrough^onanything.This^persongivesyouthe^absolutebare^minimum.10TheMissedConnectionYourfirst^ date^went^ so^well^ youcloseddown^the^bar...butdate^two^didn’t^happenfor^ sixweeks.^ Y
oucan’t^ tell^ if^ it’snotgetting^serious^because^you’rejustnotfeeling^it^orthe^timing^majorlysucks.^
56S
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Ifyou’re......totally^fine^with^your^situationship:You^doyou,^ boo.^ “
Justbereallytransparent^ aboutwhat^ your^goals^are,”^saysclinicalpsychologist^Jenny^Taitz,^ PsyD....losingsleepover^living^inthis^grayarea:^Consider^whetherthe^stressisworthit,^ says^Taitz.^ “
The^painmayoutweighthe^thrill^ofthe^moment.”...readyto^takethings^tothe^next^level:DTR.^ S
tat.^Avoiding^it^getsuncomfortable,^“especiallyifyouwant^somethingdifferent,”sayspsychologist^Niloo^Dardashti,PsyD.^
...pretty^positive^you^want^out:Treat^ themthe^wayyou’d^want^ to^betreated.^ “
Justbe^honest,andown^it,”^saysDardashti.Whatever^you^do,^don’t^ ghost.Do^my^boobslook^goodforyou^atthis^angle?Does^every-thing^gobad?78910ILL
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lustSeptember 2019 Cosmopolitan 87