Maintaining a close friendship

What is the best way to maintain a good close friendship between a guy and a girl? Without feelings getting in the way? I always seem to ruin them by developing feelings for them.

You can still be friends even if you have feelings for each other. I have a couple female friends where we have mutual crushes on each other but we're still just friends. You don't have to act on it. And even if you do if you can still be FWBs and be fine.

It helps if you know a relationship would never work, for example you both have completely different life goals, relationship expectations or theres a big age gap.

How do you know they’re mutual crushes?

Because they told me they have crushes on me and I also like them lol.

Are you a guy or girl? Do you think girls will always tell a guy if they have a crush on him?

I'm a guy. And yeah they will, especially if you're the one who brings it up first.

So they’ll tell you if you ask them out for example?

Yeah, but I personally never use the phrase "Will you go out with me?" Feels a bit unnatural to me.

This example is one that's happened a bunch of times for me with different girls. I'll have a conversation with them that's sort of sexual, then I'll ask them if they've ever masturbated while thinking of me If they haven't said no, they'll either admit it, or be like 'mmmmm maybe.' And then I just tell them 'okay because I have with you.' Then they end up admitting they have as well.

That could be seen as creepy. It’s very forward.

Lol, it's difficult to explain because it's so nuanced. Every conversation and relationship is a bit different.

In the context I'm talking about, it's not creepy because that kind of subject matter is already normal and theres a lot of flirty banter with those girls, but we're still just friends.

But I personally am a very blunt, forward, honest person. It's also one of the reasons they choose to be friends with me in the first place, they find it funny/attractive (if they didn't like it they would have been gone ages ago). So in my case, the girls I talk to are not surprised if I come out asking stuff like that. And if I ever do sense that it's become awkward I will ask them if they think I'm being inappropriate. And that easily removes the awkwardness and we carry on like nothing happened lol.

So you think every girl you’re friends with likes you?

You're obviously not going to be friends with people you don't like (if you are then you're a snake lol). I'm not talking about acquaintances you barely talk to and have zero banter with.

Usually when you've been friends with someone for a while they would have told you why they like you at some point.

I meant like as in more than friends sort of way. If you’re just friends, surely they only like you as friends?