Does bickering with a 'platonic' friend lead to romance, or to a rupture in the friendship?

Question

In Pride and Prejudice, etc. two people who are hostile to each other are masking some kind of secret love. Does this happen in real life? My male friend and I are recently acquainted and clearly mutually attracted, but we have never really discussed this due to both of us having kind of messy personal situations. We make strange excuses to see each other, pretending there's some thing he/I need help with etc. We have recently begun bickering, and not about trivial things. It's more like a direct attack on each other's character. No really hurtful words are used, just "You seem to think everyone has something wrong with them," or "You're rude," things like that. We also seem to express irritation with each other frequently. I know this is not really media-worthy but it's weird because I don't usually hang out with people who insult me, and whom I insult, so early in the acquaintanceship. Is this normal repressed love-behaviour or just normal hostility

Answer 1

You both want something from the other person. You are attracted bu looks or mannerisms, yet the personalities aren't right. Besides, you admit you both have mental messes to clean up.

Fighting is not healthy when there really isn't a relationship.

Answer 2

its repressed love I think

me and my favorite massage therapist fight all the time even during massages sometimes

its like emotional sparring I figure, we are just sizing each other up and seeing if its real

we fight sometimes BECAUSE we love each other

it messes with the nice massage sometimes though