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One possible answer might be to forge through the question immediately with a conclusion, so that you can redress the question later, unexpectedly. That is, don't skirt around the issue - plow thro...
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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/44340 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
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One possible answer might be to forge through the question immediately with a conclusion, so that you can redress the question later, unexpectedly. That is, don't skirt around the issue - plow through it and treat it as done with. As a teen growing up, the thought of 'could this person be my future partner' always crossed my mind at least once with every acquaintance, regardless of attraction. Sometimes the answer was an immediate no, sometimes it was less certain. My wife confirms this happened with herself. So it's highly believable your characters would ask themselves if they are attracted to the other at some stage, and you can have them draw conclusions - either (in their mind) permanent or fluid. Conclusions which they, as normal human beings, may change their mind on later.