Are you stuck in a situation where the person you want to give one of those “Be Mine” candy hearts for Valentine’s Day is just a crush?
If so, you’re far from alone. Whether he sits by you in class or bumped into you at a friend’s party, developing a crush can come pretty easy (especially if the guy has a killer smile).
Below are the five stages of having a crush and how to handle each situation inspired by songs from Taylor Swift:
1. The “Enchanted” Stage
After getting shot by Cupid’s arrow, you can’t help but see sparks fly every time he enters a room. You may feel butterflies in your stomach or your body shaking because of your nerves. A part of you wants to run away and hide because you feel nervous while the other side of you wants to talk to him, but you fear you’ll get tongue tied and make a fool of yourself. When you do find the courage to say hi, or when he finally talks to you, you can’t help but smile and stare into his beautiful eyes wondering, “What are his hobbies?” “What major is he going into?”, and of course “Does he have a girlfriend?”
2. The “Our Song” Stage
During this stage, you find yourself daydreaming about him a lot. Whether you’re in class, talking with friends, or eating lunch, you keep wondering when is the next time you’ll see him again. You start to doodle his name in your notebook, creep on his Facebook profile, and of course, scroll down his Twitter feed. You start to imagine what you two would do if you ever went out on a first date. You picture a first kiss you can already feel on your lips. You can see the both of you walking to class together and you already know what song on the radio you will call your song.
3. The “You Belong With Me” Stage
So, he probably doesn’t remember your name, but he does wave whenever he sees you. He also spends his time talking to other girls besides you. This doesn’t mean he’s dating but you tell your friends he has to be taken by the way he was flirting with some girl. You can’t help but a feel a little jealous wishing he would realize that you’re the one for him.
4. The “Speak Now” Stage
You’re not 100 percent sure if he’s taken or just a flirt, but you know you don’t want to find yourself placed in the friend zone. You decide to be brave and reveal how you feel so you don’t find yourself living in regret if some other girl makes a move first. You take a deep breath and pull him to the side. You tell him you’d like to get him know better and that you two should hang out sometimes. You wait for him to answer while you try to hold in whatever you ate for dinner because you feel like you’re about to throw it back up.
The final stage could go one of two ways.
5. The “Fearless” Stage
He responds the way you’ve been dreaming about and agrees to (finally) go out with you!
The “22” Stage
He tells you he’s just not that into you and doesn’t want to mess up your friendship. There’s also the possibility he could already have a girlfriend even though he’s a big flirt.
The bottom line is your crush will either blossomed into a relationship, such as the song “Fearless” where you two share a wonderful first date, or shrivel until it dies out and you’ll find yourself blasting “22” and dancing along with your other single friends.