What is the difference between a close friendship and romantic love?

Clueless: What is the difference between a close friendship and romantic love?
What if you have everything a romantic relationship has (intimacy, commitment, trust, appreciation, understanding, acceptance, even physical interaction, etc) but the other person in the friendship says they don’t love you in a relationship way? What is the difference? What causes someone to like someone as only a close friend rather than a potential partner?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Chris
If you and this other person really do share all those things than there is no difference than the “relationship way”. The only reason your not together in a boyfriend/girlfriend or man/wife sort of way is for one or both of two reasons.

1. One or both if you isnt ready. This usually pertains to those in their youth, either that one person is not done exploring yet, or just isnt ready to comprehend a life with someone who wouldn’t hurt them, ever, on a everyday basis, actually letting their guard down 100%

2. They see how relationships have such a high tendency to fail, and they are so affraid of losing you that they dont want to gamble it away just to have a social label on your relationship like boyfriend/girlfriend or man/wife. Just thing of it as exactly that: labels. Legalized f*cking. Who cares what anyone else thinks

Either way time should solve both problems and more importantly, if you know its the real thing and you know you two were made for each other than you are in the best situation anyone can find themself in. Free love is increadible but free love with the ONE is indistructible as long as your both patient and understanding people who don’t care about anyone else’s opinions, just each others. Being in love with a BEST FRIEND is sooooo much better than being in love with a boyfriend or girlfriend because no matter what happens you know they will always be there for you. Don’t let it go, dont be jealous of anyone else that gets involved cause they wont last, just be patient, enjoy it and let time run its course. If you truly believe you’ve found something better, you have the freedom to move on at anytime, just be sure aboot it. Love is wild but if you know you’ve found the right person, don’t let it go, don’t smother it either, but don’t let it go, even if it’s just a friendship