Oh my god. Okay. So in my book I have two characters get together within the first few chapters, due to them knowing each other fairly well and being ultra close. The problem is I'm scared that I'm not writing it believable enough. I need them to get together fairly early on for a.... different subplot about acceptance of one's differences, and to essentially show that this book isn't just a romance novel but more about the journey between several friends in a difficult time of war.
Honestly I should probably not be trusted when it comes to writing relationships, so feel free to take this with a boatload of salt, but I actually like this idea. You can: avoid annoying your reader by delaying the moment when Person A and Person B finally admit their feelings for one another, even though it's been obvious all along (this seems to be the norm in too many books I've read recently) alternatively, eliminate the questions of "are A and B going to get together?" "is A going to get with C instead?" "is there gonna be an awkward love triangle?" (because, like you said, it's not a romance novel, so questions like this probably wouldn't meaningfully advance the story, and I know I for one wouldn't find them particularly interesting) develop the two characters in more interesting ways based off of how they interact with each other Obviously just my thoughts. I know next to nothing on how to make the relationship "believable" (mostly cause I'm romantically hopeless myself, but that's beside the point) and writing realistic relationships is something I should also work on, so I'll leave that part to someone else. But I think this would definitely work if you executed it right.
Well the thing I wanna do is the very begining hes been thinking bout asking him for a while. But i also dont focus too much on the emotional pining that comes with it. Mainly its not out of nowhere and makes sense but there are way more things going on than just this thing. There is no love triangle (god i hate that stupid plot point.)They get together after a really bad day he has after sneaking out to have a party and such.
If you establish that they've always been ultra-close , the small step from friendship to romantic relationship should be easily believable in the first few pages. It could even be believable from the first few lines if you sprinkle tidbits of backstory showing that they've know each other for a long time.
I'm also probably not the perfect person, but have you thought about having them start out already together? If it's important to have them together fast, just start from there, and have the occasional reminiscence to show how it happened. I know that's crap, but you get the idea.
I have the same trouble shooting to go through for one of my stories. The first and probly only of the only romance novels that I'll ever write. The biggest question becomes very obvious very fast. And that is, what does being in love look like... My best guesses at making up material for that story have been looking at the relationahips that I see on movies and the Tele, the relationahips I've known in my life(my parents being the closest one), and the little amount I've read I'm bools. It all comes down to character description(getting the two puzzle peices identified in detail, before fitting them together through both othadox and unothodox methods. And I think love is generally a very stupid emotion. People who have it don't really have anything special that makes it happen, they just love this person because they gave them a candy bar when they were having a bad day, or maybe they smiled in a way that made them feel all warm inside. I think the simpler, and more offhand you make the "encounters" or scenes that lead to a relationship, the easier it will be for the reader to believe
I'd say that you just outright start the story with them together. I do understand the difficulties in writing this stuff, because I have a similar problem with knowing where the book itself needs to start. I often tell myself but the story doesn't start here and then have to get my knuckles rapped and remember that the book is not the same as the story of these people. This is an important lesson to learn. Your characters should have a life outside the confines of the book, that's what you want. You just don't need to show the audience that whole life, you know? Do you need to show them getting together? Assuming that they work as a couple, and the start of that relationship isn't the focus of the book, I'd argue no. You can still write it, if you like, but with the plan of not putting it in the finished book. In every single book I've written I've had to pry an extraneous chapter or too off the beginning of the story. That's just a fact. People who've read myself just say "We don't need it". And, distressed as I was to lose my wonderfully crafted prose that lays things out exactly how I want and has foreshadowing and sets up the themes of the book, well, they were right to say it. Because we don't need it. The audience aren't idiots (even my audience) and they can follow along, and we don't need to see the most nascent moment of everything to pick up what is needed. It's not as complicated as you think. The thing I like doing is just showing the character not really doing a lot together. So write a scene as they meet for lunch, as they walk into town or as they sit in front of the TV. Just have them kinda spark off each other, being fun. Not necessarily funny, but just kinda write them sitting and talking and making stupid jokes. Show them letting their guard down and being contently comfortable to spend time together. That's what makes them believable. The big romantic set pieces are nice too. But the thing that gives a relationship the real feeling of truth is these little every day, normal things.
