Can men and women really be "just friends"?

Today's topic comes from page 80 and 81 of the SoulPancake book, and it's a question that resonates with me in a very real way. The only way I can answer this is by bringing my best friend, Leslie, into the picture. Sorry in advance, Les.

Leslie and I met about 8 years ago -- she was in 7th grade and I was in 6th. These were our awkward, My Chemical Romance, "cut my wrists and black my eyes" days. We had issues back then, there's no denying that, but somehow we've managed to put up with each other for all these years. Of course, it hasn't been easy. We've gotten into more fights than I have the fingers and toes to count, most of them ending in "have a good life, I'm done with you," shortly followed by, "sorry, I didn't mean it, let's be friends again." Imagine the most rocky, imbalanced relationship in your life, stretch that out over 8 years, and you're starting to get the general idea. (If you've been married for more than 8 years, then you already know what it's like. Ha. I'm so funny.)

I don't want to get all mushy, sentimental, and cliche here, but love takes work. I mean, think of love like a car. You've gotta put gas in it, clean it, change the oil, and take it in for tune-ups every now and then. Love, just like a car, takes constant attention -- it has to be worked on and tended to in order for it to keep running. (I'm really, really good at cliches. Get used to it.) Leslie and I have broken down on the side of the road, ran clean out of gas, and watched our engine catch fire multiple times. (I'm still talking about love here. Keep up.) But what both of us have come to realize is how important we are to one another, and that gives us the determination to fix any problems when they arise and to keep on drivin'.

Leslie has a boyfriend now. He's a fantastic fella, and any day now my best friend could walk up to me with a ring on her finger. This excites me beyond belief. Leslie's been through a lot -- more than any human should have to go through -- but she's come out on the other side of it, and she's genuinely happy these days.

Explaining my and Leslie's friendship to people isn't an easy task -- most people can't wrap their head around the idea that two individuals of the opposite gender could be so close and have no attraction to each other whatsoever. And this is where you're just going to have to trust me when I say it: if everyone in the world died a horrible, painful death, and Leslie and I were the only people left to repopulate the planet, the human species would be doomed.

So, while everyone will have their own answer to "can men and women be just friends?", mine can be summed up with a simple, three-letter word: yes.

Love ya, Leslie.