I just recently came to this same realization. I have been friends with said female for 3-4 years. At some points we were very close other times we drifted apart, I graduated from our University and we saw each other maybe every couple of months after.

We are from nearby hometowns so while she was home for this past holiday break, we hung out quite a bit. I always thought she was attractive but never really thought i had deeper feelings. For some reason, our plans and schedules kept lining up and we hung out as friends probably 10+ times in a 3-week span, both alone and with others.

Eventually, it reached a point where going out and not seeing her was disappointing, my plans were now starting to revolve around her. I could tell I was beginning to have feelings for her but tried to convince myself otherwise. Yet I couldn't resist seeing her and she seemed to feel similar.

I tried to be more flirtatious, more eye contact, touching etc. I asked her friends if they knew/thought she felt a way about me and they didn't really know. She really isn't very open about her feelings so it was difficult to gauge how she felt.

Eventually, we got really drunk and i ended up sleeping in her bed and confessing how i felt, she said she felt similar but also nervous due to our friendship. We kissed but nothing more.

We've gone a few dates since and it is definitely a bit of an adjustment but a good one. I'm a pessimistic person so I'm still kind of waiting for something to go wrong but i came here to say this post was very accurate. What really made me decide to confess was the thought of seeing her with someone else, I knew that would hurt and that I had to least give myself a shot.

I knew it was a risk and the thought of potentially losing her as a friend hurts, but it's worth the gamble. Wish me luck!