Love vs. Friendship

Most people have heard it or said it at one time or another: "I hope we can be friends." Spoken by someone you wanted as more-than-a-friend, it can be pretty painful to hear.
It's often hard to tell the difference between friendship and feelings of romance. You might like another person, enjoy spending time together, enjoy doing a lot of the same things. A couple of clues:
-- If you don't feel any sexual attraction, not even the tiniest bit, don't go along with dating someone just because the other person wants it. Sooner or later you'll find yourself delivering the "friends" line.
-- If you don't like the way this person has treated past partners, and you don't want to be treated the same way, keep it a platonic relationship.
-- If you find yourself developing romantic feelings for a friend, try to get a sense of whether your interest is reciprocated. If it isn't, either back off on the friendship or try to move beyond those feelings -- but don't blame your friend for not feeling the same things you do.