Is it a good idea to try to go from being FWB to starting a relationship?
That said, as human beings, we are programmed to have partners, and to find the greatest joy in life, and I don't think that having an “F buddy” is going to provide ALL the joy that you deserve. It can be fun, but it will only be temporary. So I always invite you to ask yourself a question: What if you thought about true love and let go of the heartache that love has caused before?
For just a moment, forget your sentimental past and all of the pain that went along with it. If I ask you to focus solely on your deepest desires, the things that bring you the most amount of joy, and especially on the new things that you could incorporate into your life, how can you imagine your daily life-changing?
The more you work on being truly happy and fulfilled, and creating excitement in your life, the more this person is going to want to invest in being your partner.