This “friends first” is bilge and will leave you forever in the friend zone. Start by DATING, if you don’t hit it off, DATE another girl, etc. until you fall in love.
If a girl sees you as “just a pal”, that may be all she wrote, she might never get to that romantic stage.
I don't think it would work out well for me that way. I cannot feel comfortable around a girl who I barely know and immediately seek to become romantic with. I need to know the person really well before I am attracted (otherwise it seems more like lust). There was this one girl that I took no special notice of at first, but as I spent more time with her (we were in the same "Theme Learning Community" last year in college) I slowly developed a love that I had never experienced before. She would say seemingly unimportant things about herself, but these things automatically seemed special and important to me (like how she loves Almond milk and rollercoasters). She would greet everyone with a cute high pitched "hi ______!" that automatically made my day. She also could make the cutest faces. She was the first girl that I ever loved because of her personality first, and her looks grew on me (a lot) as I got to know her. What was awesome is that I didn't feel ashamed about my love for her because it was pure and not lustful. Unfortunately, she is not a Christian, but I have been praying for her salvation daily.
I wrote her a thank you note to show my appreciation for how she changed my life for the better. I told her how I was more of a loner before, but now I have opened up and am more comfortable being myself due to her. I am sure part of that was God's doing as well because it was a season of trial and transformation for me. She is really busy this summer and said she can't really focus on keeping the relationship going for the time being. It looks unlikely at this point due to that, but I have three more years of college left. Maybe it isn't God's will for it to be. If not, I have to yield. I'd be disappointed though. Hard to believe there is anyone better out there for me when you have only met one person who is so incredibly compassionate and kind. The bar has been set high. I have to trust God though; He knows best.