I've never been very good at remaining "just friends" with someone I was interested in dating. It usually lasts about a week before I get involved in a relationship.
However, my last relationship started with our first date and it was the longest I've ever had (10 months). We got too physical (don't worry, we never had sex), and never really talked (not that I ever really talked to my previous two either). So, she broke up with me due to communication problems.
We decided the break up was caused, in part, due to the fact that we were never really friends. So we stayed friends, and, though we see each other once a week (I go to college, she's taking a semester off due to personal reasons), we talk on the phone virtually every day. We hold hands a lot more often than we used to, and we talk a lot more than we used to. We're dating as "just friends" right now, because she's not ready for a relationship at the moment (her personal reasons).
What is everyone's opinion on the friends first thing? Is that how you prefer your relationships to start?