Three short years ago, I knew a man in passing and I never knew he would change my life. The moment we actually sat down and talked, it was as if I had known him my entire life.

We had the same eccentric sense of humor. He was intelligent. He listened. And above all, he wanted to know me.

After pretending to be "friends," we began dating. He fit like a glove within my group of friends. He made everyone laugh and people often said they wanted a relationship like ours.

I took the compliment. I knew how lucky I was. But something was missing.

Despite dating for years, I realized I only felt friendship. Yes, I loved him, but I loved him the way I loved my best friends. As we grew together our friendship started to phase, and it was if we were both faking it.

I constantly wondered, "Is he really just my friend?"

When times got tough, I left. The more I tried to distance myself, the harder he fought for me. I couldn't comprehend why we could not just be friends.

Although I thought he was the one to hurt me in the relationship, I knew that the truth was that I was the one who hurt him. He blocked me on everything, got a new girlfriend within a few weeks, and acted as if he forgot about me.

As I watched this happen, I was not jealous. And that was the problem. I realized that the only love we had was platonic, which made the loss even worse.

I didn't lose my boyfriend to another woman, I lost my best friend.

So what's the moral of this story? A relationship should not be forced. Your significant other should be one of your best friends, but not your number one. At such a young age, loss is difficult, especially the loss of a friend.

This wasn't a traditional breakup, rather a loss of a beautiful friendship.

Through the loss I still smiled. He always made me laugh and even when he wasn't around I would laugh at the things he said in the past. My family members told me that in time we will be friends again, but I do not think that is the case, and that's okay.

I am grateful for the friendship. I have the memories to keep. And I'm sure he feels the same.