Is my platonic friend ruining my shot at love?

A reader wonders if his bond with a platonic friend may short-circuit his shot at finding a soulmate.

We asked readers to channel their inner Carolyn Hax and answer this question. Some of the best responses are below.

Dear Carolyn: I’m a straight man, and I’ve known my closest friend, a straight woman, for the past two years. We started off as fellow regulars in some neighborhood groups, became friends, and we flirted with becoming more about a year ago. However, eventually we settled into a close platonic friendship.

Not that there’s an offer on the table, but I have reasons I don’t think we should go out. She doesn’t want kids and I do is the easiest reason to never try to convince myself otherwise. She also drinks more than I think is healthy and has a history of infidelity (nothing while I’ve known her). And she has some strange emotional habits. I hope she can get it together for a relationship, but it would be a leap of faith to be her test case!

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