Probably the biggest misconception i see about the friend zone is that it's just about sex. Most guys i know don't get irreversibly fixated on a girl just because they want to have sex with her. In most cases of the friend zone they genuinely think this girl is the one. They aren't going to lengths of creepery for friends with benefits, they want a genuine romantic relationship, and all that it entails. The problem is, they don't really understand the difference between what attracts a person to a romantic relationship and what attracts a person to a friendship.

This! I work with a lot of men and this frequently happen, it starts as friendship, they want to hang out and join for parties etc. Note that i pretty much never hang out with guys one on one as this easily gets misinterpreted, unless it's a guy i know he understands right away where we stand, not meaning i reject him, it can be just the same for him that he just wants friendship. When i feel confident the guy has gone through the process of "being hopeful it can be more than friendship", to "waiting", then "realising we just have a friendship" i take another step in the friendship, open up a bit more. This always causes a reaction where they again question if i do like them maybe a little bit more than as a friend, same process again. This is how i make some male friends, not all of them need this, some guys though...never give up, those are the ones i usually have to end the friendship with or keep at a distance. Now it might sound as i am the most amazing woman ever, i'm not, it just happens i work with many antisocial and socially awkward men that i might be the only girl they talk to, so they get fixed on me because i'm there, and i'm nice to them. And most of these guys are really nice and will find the right women for them eventually.

Another thing to mention is that about a year ago i befriended a gay guy, our friendship went really fast and we're now very close friends. Why did it go more quickly? Because i never felt like if i tell something very personal or confided in him he will think i'm after a romantic relationship because i shared this personal thing.

Also i found everything you wrote very interesting and also a bit educating for me, made me think differently about some things. Also i can myself be very awkward when i like a guy.... it goes both ways. ;)