Originally Posted by
gamey27
I don't see why it's necessary to have define "hierarchy" of relationships in your life. It changes at different points in your life, and different roles mean different things to different people. For instance, when you're young, having a girlfriend/ boyfriend just means sex, intimacy, friendship. If you get married and have children, it becomes a very different relationship as finances, child-rearing etc...can take precedence and in some cases take over the relationship.
For me, at the moment, I don't have a close female friend/ girlfriend. However, I do have a male friend who I'm very close to and with whom I can talk about anything to, I'd consider him my best friend. However, it's not a sexual relationship because we're both straight!
I would like to meet a girl who I become close to (emotionally and physically). At that point, I think my close male friend might become less important to me, as I have someone new to confide in. Personally, that's something that I strive to finding: a female partner with whom I can share my life. I know that's what my male friend is looking for ultimately also (as he told me!), so I'd expect that I would become less important in his life also if he meets someone. I'd always expect him to be there for me in tough times though and vice versa.
However, it's difficult if a close friend suddenly falls in love and your own relationship becomes less important to them. I think it's something you just have to accept. I think a good friend though, will be mindful of this, and not drop you completely.
I envy people who do have that one special relationship. It becomes more important as you get older I think. When you're very young, you have your family. When you're in college, you have lots of friends and meet new people all the time. But as I get older, I've found my social circle is getting smaller, both because I value close relationships more now and because friends are partnering up also.