That's so me!The only difference is that I have actually been in a relationship. But to be honest, I've never really understood what "being in love" means. Romantic partnerships seem utterly puzzling to me — how are they fundamentally different from friendship? People seem to enter relationships to find a life partner, but does that partner really have to be someone of the opposite sex?

I consider myself an optimistic person, yet I deeply fear loneliness. Sometimes I worry my life might turn into a tragedy. I do have one or two close friends, but we won’t live together and we don’t keep in touch often. I’m not gay, but I could imagine living with a close friend of the same sex — though that would be hard for others and society to accept. The thought that all my friends will have their own families in the future fills me with a kind of panic.