11 Ways to Tell If Your Casual Fling is a Permanent Thing

By Laura Beck

Is your bed used for more than sex? Then, yes.

1. He leaves stuff at your place, and vice versa.

You used to stuff any evidence of your existence into a gym bag before you left - "Is that one of my eyelash hairs? Let me get that!" - and now you're leaving stuff laying around all willy nilly. He has a toothbrush at your place and stuff to sleep in, and you just washed a pair of his boxers and ironed his work shirt. WHAT ARE YOU MARRIED? No, you're just comfortable together, and ironing is your happy place. So zen.

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2. He makes plans more than a week in advance.

Are you his date for his best friend's wedding in July? Are you planning to rent a cabin in Tahoe together next season? Are you driving him to his fifth DUI court date in August because he can't drive himself? Yeah, this is the real deal. (Also, if it's the last one, we should maybe talk...)

3. He cares that your friends like him. And that you like his friends.

Does he know your best friend's three middle names and that she really really REALLY hates tomatoes? He's a keeper. Do his friends know you're kind of cranky in the morning? Dump him. (JK, that might be exactly what you're looking for. The point is: they get you.)

4. You text him just to say hi and don't feel weird about it.

You no longer show your potential text messages to everyone within a two mile radius. You let those babies fly like it ain't no thang, and that's because it isn't. Your love is a smiling emoticon hugging a heart, and you don't care who knows it. (Even him!)

5. You stop counting who owes who when it comes to the tiny things.

You got dinner two times in a row? No biggie, you know he'll get the next two. Or four. (What? You're broke!)

6. You laugh in bed.

About everything. Yes, EVERYTHING.

7. You eat in bed, as well.

Girl, sometimes you even just sleep in bed. And that's OK; in fact, it feels pretty awesome. Sleep is the best, and it's even better next to someone who you adore.

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8. You can't just "stop calling" anymore.

If you decided tomorrow that he wasn't the one, you'd have to have a serious talk. There's no time to cut and run anymore - besides, you just gave him a key to your place so you'd definitely need to get that back.

9. It's not weird for you two just to stay in together.

Have you two binge watched a series of anything whilst wasting away in your own filth and eating Chinese food from a shared carton? With the same chopsticks? Yeah, this is legit. You might as well get married.

10. You don't have to brush your teeth as soon as you wake up.

That marathon TV day? Maybe you didn't brush your teeth AT ALL.

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11. It feels safe when you have arguments.

You know that disagreements are normal, natural, and don't automatically mean you should run for the hills. You can not agree on where to go to dinner and you know that doesn't mean one of you throwing your hands up and yelling "I quit!" (But, uh, if that ever happened over deciding where to go to dinner, you should definitely quit.)

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