If you’re confused about where you stand with a romantic partner or are nearing the “what are we?” stage of your courtship, no need to send up the SOS when you're trying to DTR. Regardless of how you feel about putting a label on it, you want to be on the same page about what’s going on and the appropriate boundaries involved (like, dating-app usage and sex with other people). It helps if you have a clear intention about your life and dating style, Concepcion says, so you can go into flings or relationships with clarity on what you’re looking for from it. Relationship ambiguity can be mind-boggling. “They tiptoe around one another, wondering if they’re dating, dating exclusively, or are in a relationship.”
“People get so tripped up these days with ‘label aversion,’' says Lisa Concepcion, relationship expert and founder of LoveQuestCoaching. Take Love Island UK and USA, for example-while they’re still in the “getting to know each other” stage, they often start their exclusivity conversations by tiptoeing around the dang question, asking stuff like, 'Well, would you be open if a new person came in, or not so much?'
