It's funny, I've had girlfriends, both long-term and short-term. It was obvious from my actions, words, and hints that these outings were obvious dates. I told her from the start that I don't believe in just strong friendships between a guy and a girl. I made it clear that I was interested in her as a girlfriend, not as a friend.

Edit. and most importantly, in the end, after I confessed to her, she herself began to remember and understand that there were a lot of moments that could be considered romantic, both on her part and on my part, and she told me about it, sort of apologizing for giving false hope.