OK, well it's very late here but my heartburn is keeping me awake (the joys of pregnancy) so I'm going to risk a reply, but bear in mind it might be a bit fuzzy due to the time of night and the fact that I've just woken up!

First of all: if you love her and she does not love you, do not get into a 'friends with benefits' type of arrangement. You'll only get hurt.

Secondly: You are undergoing a lot of change in your life at the moment and 45 days into being clean is probably not the best time to be making decisions that may impact on the rest of your life. Risking this friendship may well do just that.

Thirdly: If you need to get laid, then go use someone else for sex - using your best friend is a baaaaaad idea as you both have too much to lose. It might also be a good idea to make sure it's not just your trousers talking when you suddenly feel that you're in love with this girl who's been in your life for a while already.

Fourthly: If you are convinced you're in love, you're not willing to wait and you're sure you won't just be using her for sex, then the first step is to tell her how you feel. Tell her what, ideally you'd like to see happening with the relationship and see if she feels the same, whether she's willing to end the online relationship for giving it a go with you. I don't subscribe to the crass remark made by the Governor of California about 'eating isn't cheating' - I'd be fucking livid if Fussy did that with another woman, but I do believe that 'talking isn't cheating'. Tell her how you feel, and tell her that your ultimate goal is to keep her friendship, even if she doesn't want more from the relationship and see what she says and how you feel. Once you know, one way or another you can put it to bed and the ball's in her court with regard to what she does about her online beau.

I hope this helps (or at the very least makes grammatical sense!!)

__________________
"Time flies like an arrow -
Fruit flies like a banana"

M Y - N A U G H T Y - P I C T U R E S ! !