Dear Meredith,

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Guy meets girl through mutual friends, they become pretty good friends, friendship grows closer, and now guy has more-than-friendly feelings for her. Tale as old as time, right?

This girl (we’ll call her H) and I met while abroad early in our college careers. We were pals throughout, but didn’t become really close (read: “best friend” status) until our senior year. We hang out and talk constantly, albeit usually in group settings. More often than not, however, she’ll pull me aside and Instagram or Snapchat a picture of just the two of us. Friends often comment that we “look like we’re dating” on social media. On graduation day, H introduced me to her family, and then that same night, after a few beers, told me that her sister had asked when we were planning on getting married. She later admitted she wouldn’t have told me that if she hadn’t been drinking, so I’ve got no clue what that means.

H and I are both living in Boston for the summer, but our post-grad plans are pretty much up in the air. I don’t believe in phrases like “the friendzone,” but I’m not sure if through our friendship I’ve lost all chances of developing our relationship into something more. My guy friends tell me I should grow a pair and tell her how I feel, but I’ve got a lot of reservations, mostly because I don’t want to have the conversation go south and make things awkward. My head and heart are pretty conflicted. What should I do?

-Best Friends Forever?