[hide=earlier stuff] I stopped reading at this point. I'd be surprised if even 30% of men (and I mean men, not teens) who thought that. ...I did carry on reading though. I like your anecdote, however you've confused love with something lesser. You don't *love* someone you met in your freshman year, without even being in a relationship with them. You studied so hard because you wanted to be a doctor, and "impressing" the girl was as you said earlier (for yourself) an "indulgence that is available if they have the time". /shrug [/hide] Sure, though I don't remember saying everyone wants love - just that it's ignorant to assume the majority of men don't mind. Also, people may think that they don't want love, but I'd say that out of the people who find love, just as many people are taken by surprise than those who go looking for love. In fact, perhaps more, as those who "look" for love are more likely to take an image of a certain person and love that, rather than the person for who they are. This isn't actually what I meant - unrequited love does exist. I meant that I find it unlikely you would have been fully emotionally involved with her without knowing her entire self, something that really only happens after a (normally) long period of time where both of you are extremely close. I think that what you felt when looking at her photo was not feelings for her, per say - but a natural human tendency to want to have that relationship with someone. While I don't doubt you wanted to be in a relationship with her, I'm not fully convinced it was for the reasons you describe.