"Just Friends"

There is a myriad of different ways to define a relationship these days. Some are fairly simple - parent to child, brother to sister, friend to friend, etc. Of course, you can get creative with nomenclature, but no matter whether you call someone your homeboy or your bff, the world still recognizes that as falling under the "friend to friend" category. Things get a little more complicated when we start talking "male to female" (or vice versa. Now , I'm not one of those people who thinks that men and women are only friends if they have some romantic motives lurking beneath the surface; but even the most optimistic idealist would probably admit to having pursued an acquaintance for something more than just a lunch buddy at some point in his or her life. So we have a man and a woman who have 'feelings' for each other (don't you just love this jargon?). Do we just call them a couple and be done with it? Oh no, that would be too easy! If you asked the woman, "What are you and John Doe over there," she may reply mentally something like this: "Well, we're friends but we like each other but we haven't really said anything but I know that he likes me but I'm not really ready for a relationship right now..." You get the idea. Of course, no self-respecting woman would give an answer like that, except perhaps to her closest girlfriend, so what comes out instead?
"Oh, we're just friends."
In case there is any doubt about what it means to be "just friends," I've put together a handy dandy checklist. These are things from my personal experience, so if you have an addendum, please comment and share your story :)

1. You and your friend sit less than three inches apart on a couch, when the rest of the couch is empty.


2. You look forward to rainy days because you get to share an umbrella with your friend (small umbrellas are preferred in such situations).


3. (For the ladies) You take every opportunity you get to tell your friend how cold you are, in hopes that he will put a friendly arm around your shoulders.


4. (For the gents)You find yourself complimenting your friend on her looks at least 3 times as much as you do any other acquaintance.


5. You have regular "outings" with your friend (dinner and a movie are always a good choice)


6. You think of your friend every time you hear a romantic ballad.


7. It's a regular occurrence for you to catch your friend staring at you (or vice versa).


8. Somehow, whether your friend is coughing up a lung or sweaty and disgusting, you still want him/her to be near.


9. You discover that your friend's jokes are ten times funnier than any other jokes you may have ever heard (this rule applies to any of your friend's creative endeavors).


10. You're going through a rough time and you need a 20-minute pep talk from anyone else, but all it takes from your friend to help you get through it all is just a smile :)