Women are everywhere. You encounter them at work, at the supermarket, on the street. She is the person in the apartment down the hall, your sister's best friend, the clerk at the convenience store, the one you bump into at the laundromat. On the one hand, these women may not even be aware of your existence, and making yourself known to them - leaping the hurdle of the introduction and acquaintance period is, as yet, too daunting for your fledgling social skills. Conversely, perhaps you are already acquainted, familiar, all too familiar, commonplace, taken for granted and ignored.
Distance is the key concept here.
An element of strangeness, the unknown, the exotic, all this hints at the intriguing possibilities of romance. It helps to be recognizable, yet not so well known that familiarity trivializes the budding relationship, and yes, breeds contempt. The course of love is rocky, by custom, tradition, and myth. Romantic love thrives on adversity, on challenge, on resistance, on hindrances, on barriers to be overcome, on prohibitions, on taboos to be broken, on tension, on crises, on anguish, on despair, on secret meetings, on stolen kisses, on forbidden touches, on disapproving parents, on broken-glass topped walls that keep lovers apart. The workplace would seem the most logical place to find a lover.