I reluctantly agreed to do my best to try to build that friendship, and work on getting over the idea of romantic involvement. Fifty years ago, gender roles in the United States were so strictly defined and supported by social institutions and mass media that any discussion of deviating from these roles would be taboo. Today, gender roles are much harder to define. There are hundreds of books, videos, weekend retreats, board games and Internet chat rooms dedicated to finding a definition. Women will admit their mistakes, men will not.
Women cherish foreplay, men cherish sex.
The weeks following the rejection hurt a lot. We would go to parties together and she would flirt with other guys, going so far as kissing one of my best friends in front of me. I swallowed the pain and convinced myself that the rejected feeling would fade. It did begin to fade when I finally developed feelings for someone else. Her interest in me increased dramatically, with a surge of compliments and physical affection.