<p>I was in the same predicament 6 months ago. I found out that my best friend liked me, and we talked about it, and decided to start dating. We would not have decided to go out unless we we were both pretty sure that this wasn’t going to be a 3 week relationship. </p>
<p>So we started going out, much to the surprise of one of our friends, while others said they saw it coming from a mile away. We’ve been going out for six months now, so while that isn’t THAT long of a time, its decent.</p>
<p>I think you should see if she has feelings for you first and then only go out if you think its going to be a somewhat long relationship. No point in risking a good friendship for a fling. It sounds like you really like her though. I say if you don’t ask her, you’ll never know, so go for it!</p>