When RD and I were friends, we went on many non-dates. We were cautious about where we should go since we didn't want to make the outings date-like. We chose safe places, and the Aquarium at Darling Harbour was one of them. In hindsight, it's beyond me how that was a safe place, with sharks looking into our eyes. I guess it was safer than us looking into each other's eyes, which we were forbidden to do as friends.
It was indeed an interesting year, building a strong foundation as friends, knowing so much yet so little about each other. So close, yet so far. Our friendship was pure, as any platonic relationship should be. We never crossed the line; we knew our boundaries and were conscious of our steps. There was none of this "friends with benefits" garbage. It makes me think about how modern society has soiled the value, innocence, and purity of friendship. People are forgetting the principles of companionship and allowing lust to become their driving factor.
You have two categories for the opposite sex; most of you have probably read or heard of the Ladder Theory before. The first category refers to people you've ruled out as romantic potentials, and the second type is the list of people you might consider dating later on. When I was single, 99% of my male friends were placed in the first category, and I'm sure the feeling was mutual. I'm very decisive when it comes to dating, and I know exactly what and who I want from the first encounter. A girlfriend of mine was confused about her feelings for her boy buddy, so I shared with her my secret boyfriend thermometer.
The test requires you to imagine kissing the person in question. If you're repulsed by the idea, then it's safe to assume you're destined to be friends forever. This experiment doesn't work for everyone, but it works for me. This means I could only imagine myself kissing 1% of the male population in my circle of friends. The test also measures the level of attraction.
In conclusion, two people cannot be friends if they're attracted to each other. They can be in denial, but they'll find themselves naturally drawn to each other, and once the timing is right, they'll grow to become more than friends. When that day finally arrives, they'll discover that the very first kiss is definitely worth the wait.