I'm a first year student at UCD. I met a girl on my first day and we've been inseparable. We hang out at the bar, sit next to each other in lectures, play squash together, head into town on the 46A bus (always taking the front seat on the upper floor! We call it our chariot.) I am quickly falling in love with her. She is everything I've ever wanted in a woman.

But I'm unsure about making a move. She thinks of us as friends. We are friends.

But I now want more. Much more. Her laughter rings in my ears long after she's gone. I constantly think of her smile. I want her so badly. Am I mad? Will I jeopardise the relationship?

Restrained

Dear Restrained,

My God, man. She certainly likes you. And, you're right to suspect that the nature of the relationship could change F.O.R.E.V.E.R. What if, after you come clean, she throws herself at you? (Think carefully, have you factored that in?) Or, she could feel betrayed, say that you've crossed an invisible line and then disappear from your life forever. Or, or ... she might giggle uncontrollably, call you a big fool, place a big smacker on your cheek and say you're like a brother to her. (It could be worse, she may say you're like a distant cousin, twice removed.)

But my money is on a happy, carefree resolution - platonic or otherwise. Imagine yourself at 80. What would you wish you'd done?

I think the old man would tell you to go for it.