Ever been in that situation where you thought someone liked you and it turned out they didn’t? Or that you were absolutely sure you were just friends, and they turned out to have feelings for you?

Guess what? It happens all the time, and yes, it happens to almost everyone. There are overt signs, and then there are the clues that you’d have to just know to be able to tell that they’re interested in that way.

When should you compromise and when do you stand your ground? Well, there’s no real science to it, but many couples figure this out eventually from trial and error.

Trying to compromise all the time and keeping the peace often times means that your opinions aren’t heard or that you may start to resent the person because you’re not getting what you really want.

However, standing your ground and defending your position can mean constant fighting and bickering. What to do?

There are times when you need to decide which course of action is better for both yourself and your relationship. Here are some good examples of when to compromise:

Keeping the spark alive in a relationship is hard; being together all the time causes that level of mystery, that certain something that used to be there in the beginning of the relationship, to give way for comfort and stability.

But how many people would love to have that spark back? That feeling of butterflies, the same emotions that made your heart beat palpably, your palms sweat and gave you the shivers?

How do you know when it’s the right time to walk away from a relationship?

This question is fraught with landmines—it’s never easy to walk away from someone you love, but sometimes it’s the best thing for you.

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to love. Some people stay in the worst relationships because they cannot bear to be apart from the person they fell in love with, or because they hate the idea of being alone. Everyone knows one pf these people.

But when it comes to personal safety, there are a few red flags everyone should be able to spot as a warning sign. These are signals that its time to not only reevaluate why you’re with this person, but whether or not you will continue to be with them. The following are things to watch out for:

Good friends are there for everything in your life. They drive you to be better, make sure you don’t make a fool of yourself, have fun, and most importantly, look out for you.

That’s why, when they don’t like your boyfriend or girlfriend, it can raise a lot of problems. Animosity between your partner and your group of friends or a friend can become heated and often puts you in the uncomfortable position of being stuck in the middle.

No person is alike—we all like and dislike different things. Some people love hummus, some hate it, some love soccer, some can’t keep their eyes open longer than 10 minutes.

However, there are a few traits that most singles are looking for in a potential partner. There are just some things that nearly everybody wants and desires. Once you know what they want and how to portray this, then you will be one step ahead of the pack:

You’ve got your profile all set up and ready. Picture up? Check. Bio? Check. Information on the kind of person you’re looking for? Check. The profile is done, but are you truly making the most out of it? It’s important to personalize your profile so that you can accurately reflect yourself on this one single page among the thousands upon thousands of similar ones on ArabLounge.

“So…what are you doing Friday night?” It’s an awkward question, one fraught with multiple meanings, eagerness and above all, fear.

Being asked out has a lot of emotions attached to it. First, there’s the flattery. It’s that ‘hey, someone likes me and is asking me out.’ There’s also the surge of happiness—that is, if it comes from someone you like back.

However, there are times when inevitably, someone you’re just not interested in for whatever reason, will ask you out. For those times when you’d rather a giant hole open up in the earth and swallow you alive, use some of the tips mentioned below to stave off a potentially terrible date. It takes class, honesty, and a whole lot of tact to turn down someone respectfully yet firmly. Here are some good ways:

The scenario is always the same–your aunt eagerly tells you she has a beautiful, eligible woman who would love to meet you and who comes from a wonderful family—she’s educated, charming and is adept at all household chores. So, you decide to meet; you think, “hey, I’ve got nothing to lose, right?” Well, she doesn’t exactly turn out to be how your aunt describes—she’s at least 10 years older, and doesn’t seem to be very interested in what you have to say. The first meeting goes disastrously, (at least it will make a good story for your buddies,) and you swear off anymore arranged dates.

I’m finding someone myself, you decide. I know what I like, and I’m perfectly capable of doing it on my own. That’s when you suddenly realize just how hard it can be to find someone that you connect with.

Jaleel seemed like a great guy. He was charming, funny and very ambitious. Everything was going great until the day I heard him talking to his mother on the phone.

He was being so rude and short with her, that I couldn’t believe he was actually talking to his mother. I was a little startled, but I wasn’t sure exactly how to perceive this glimpse into another side of him.