In most cases,the transition from acquaintance to friendship occurs gradually.We reach out to offer friendship by offering a potential friend caring,listening,talking,sharing,accepting,and affirming.It takes time and effort to build a friendship.They are built slowly,slowly,slowly...
Yet,nothing can add more to your life than having truly intimate friends."Just friends" is a goal worth pursuing!
Friendships can take up to three years to build!And building friendships is much the same for children as adults,but a bit quicker!
Self-disclosure is usually the first step in establishing a confidant.And it is scary because of the potential rejection factor.Do it anyway!
Start by sharing a few private thoughts and/or feelings with one person you might want for a close friend.If the person is responsive,he/she will usually share a personal thought or two with you.
If he/she is not responsive to your overtures,don't think of this as a rejection.People may be non-responsive for reasons of their own or merely as a perception of yours.Nevertheless,they can't be rejecting you because they don't even know you yet.