If you find a date through the usual face-to-face channels (e.g. meeting someone through friends; getting to know a new single neighbor; meeting someone at a conference; meeting someone during a sports event), make sure you drop the proper hints here and there to signal to the other person that hey, I’m not someone who plays around, I’m seriously looking. Granted, it’s easier to be more direct in communicating that message during Phase 2 than it is in Phase 1. But again, taking the effort to make your terms clear is actually a way of being considerate towards yourself and others. You are managing expectations.
You should also strive to be clear about your own beliefs and mode of conduct regarding dating. This is most important if you happen to be dating in a multicultural society. No matter how liberal, sophisticated or cosmopolitan the place where you live is, you will always bump into people who have certain personal rules about physical or emotional intimacy in dating, which might differ from yours. Learn to respect the
differences. Being clear about your own terms, and communicating how and when you and your date can meet (for both Phase 1 and 2) can help bridge those differences.
You have fallen in love.
When you’re sure that the person is the one, you should
tell him or her how you feel.