Friendship may, and often does, grow into love, but love never subsides into friendship.

Moving from friendship to romance feels like growth, but the reverse is harder than people like to admit. Once love has been in the picture, the relationship rarely returns to the easy footing it had before. The feelings, hurts and history tend to linger. You may know former partners who did become good friends, and it happens, but it usually takes time and distance.

If you are hoping to stay friends after a relationship ends, give it real space first. There is no need to force closeness while feelings are still raw. And if the friendship never quite returns, that is not a failure on anyone’s part.