This resource explains the difference between one-way and two-way relationships (such as friendships and romantic relationships). It also provides tips for determining if a relationship is one-way or two-way.
One-Way and Two-Way Relationships
Relationships
One-way
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You like a person and want to be friends or romantic partners, but they do not like you or want to be your friend or romantic partner.
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Someone wants to be your friend or romantic partner, but you do not want to be their friend or romantic partner.
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One-way connections do NOT lead to friendships or romantic relationships.
Two-way
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You like a person and want to be friends or romantic partners with them and that person wants to be your friend or romantic partner too!
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Two-way connections can lead to friendships and romantic relationships.
How to know if it is a two-way relationship
It is one-way if...
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The person walks away from you when you are talking.
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They ask you to stop talking to them.
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They do not respond to phone calls or text messages.
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The person tries to avoid you.
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The person seems more interested in talking to other people.
It is two-way if...
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They want to spend time with you.
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They like to talk to you.
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They respond to your phone calls and text messages.
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They are nice to you.
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They are happy to see you.
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For a romantic relationship, they may also flirt with you.
Our Resource Library also has a Relationships Visual that explains what relationships are and what types of relationships we might have.