A romantic friendship, passionate friendship, or affectionate friendship is a very close but typically non-sexual relationship between friends, often involving a degree of physical closeness beyond that which is common in contemporary Western societies.

What is considered a romantic relationship?

In this context, romantic relationships can be viewed as voluntary relationships between individuals who have intentions that each person will be a significant part of their ongoing lives. We cannot meet, or maintain a long-term relationship, without sharing some sense of proximity.

Do romantic relationships exist?

Romantic love -- free from the craving and obsession of the early stages of falling in love --can and does frequently exist in long-term marriages, research has found, and its correlated with marital satisfaction, and individual well-being and self-esteem.