Tuesday, October 31, 2006

There ought to be a word for this too

I've just put up a couple of posts about my 'Exes'; but some of the women who have had the most significant impact on my life, I never actually went out with at all. (Note: I've never felt comfortable with the American term 'dating', which seems to be an unfortunate combination of the very formal and yet, at times, also disturbingly provisional: "Oh, we're only dating", "Yeah, I'm dating other people as well". Don't get me started! This could be a long post, or even a series of posts, all on its own.)

There should be a word for women you've loved, but never gone out with. I suppose the standard word would be 'unrequited'; but, to me, that tends to suggest one-sided infatuation, secret admiration-from-afar. The women I'm thinking of here were, mostly, quite well aware of my interest in them, and not entirely unreceptive to it, but... for various unfortunate reasons ("Cruel Fate, why do you mock me?"), we were never able to consummate things.

Indeed, there ought to be a word for it! Any suggestions?

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