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Not each almost-relationship ends successful heartbreak. Some conscionable slice quietly, leaving down a idiosyncratic you deliberation astir each present and past for reasons you can’t afloat explain. For a batch of women, “the 1 that got away” isn’t idiosyncratic they’re inactive successful emotion with, but idiosyncratic tied to a moment, a mentation of themselves, oregon a way they didn’t take.
The women who shared their stories connected Reddit speech astir missed timing, long-distance what-ifs, relationships that ended earlier they truly began, and realizations that came a small excessively late. These aren’t melodramatic breakups oregon expansive regrets, conscionable tiny choices that ended up shaping everything. And if you’re funny however these stories compare, there’s besides a mentation of this question wherever men shared their ain experiences.
1. "There was a feline I started dating during the past period oregon 2 of college. We were ne'er 'official,' but we had truthful overmuch amusive together. He was smart, handsome, respectful, and genuinely a blast to beryllium around. Since I was moving to a antithetic state aft graduating, it didn’t truly marque consciousness to effort to crook it into a superior relationship, particularly due to the fact that we didn’t cognize each different that well. Still, portion of maine likes to deliberation I could’ve had a large beingness with him, you know, based wholly connected the 2 months we casually dated erstwhile we were 21, haha. We’re some happily joined to different radical present and lone support successful interaction connected a precise aboveground level done societal media."
— kaledit
2. "We were unneurotic for astir a twelvemonth successful our aboriginal 20s and fell profoundly successful love, but we wanted antithetic things, and I was truthful unsure of myself that I was fundamentally a walking tornado. I thought we could unit it to work, but helium ended it, and helium was right. Looking back, helium was acold much mature than I was. He knew who helium was, what helium believed, and however to beryllium contiguous successful a mode I couldn’t then. He settled down successful his 20s and seems blessed now. My beingness took a overmuch rockier path, and helium remains the calmest, astir unchangeable idiosyncratic I ever dated. He loved me, but knew helium couldn’t and shouldn’t alteration me, truthful helium fto maine go. While helium wasn’t 'the one,' helium was decidedly the 1 who got away."
3. "There was 1 feline I was truly successful emotion with. We dated briefly, and past helium went done a large idiosyncratic calamity that wholly derailed the relationship, and it ne'er recovered. We some yet moved on, adjacent though helium aboriginal moved crossed the country. I inactive deliberation astir him sometimes, benignant of longingly, and I cognize helium does too. But honestly, it’s conscionable however beingness works, and it doesn’t consciousness similar a immense deal. So galore things successful my beingness could’ve gone differently, and this is conscionable however it turned out. Timing truly is everything, particularly successful relationships, and ours conscionable wasn’t meant to be."
4. "I thought I did for a agelong time, from astir 19 to astir 30. We ne'er dated exclusively since we lived successful antithetic states, but I was wholly smitten with him. Right earlier my 30th birthday, I started dating my now-husband, and soon aft that, the feline I erstwhile thought was 'the 1 that got away' called to spot if I wanted to get together. After a batch of thought, I said no, and it honestly felt similar a value had been lifted. Not agelong after, helium went afloat anti-vax, COVID-conspiracy mode, which was a implicit 180 from who I thought helium was, truthful I intelligibly dodged a bullet. Funnily enough, astir the aforesaid clip helium called me, my husband’s ain 'one that got away' besides reached retired to him portion we’d lone been dating for a mates of months. We some thought astir it, chose each other, and present we afloat hold we made the close decisions, lol."
5. "For me, it feels much similar an 'I wonderment wherever this could’ve gone' moment, not a 'we were afloat committed, and I ruined everything' benignant of regret. I tin deliberation of a fewer moments wherever I was casually chatting with a feline oregon had lone met him once, and helium was intelligibly interested, but I missed the hint oregon got shy and insecure. Looking back, I realized helium was really a catch, adjacent though thing ever had the accidental to go real. Because the narration ne'er developed, it’s hard to accidental what could’ve happened, but it did marque maine much alert of my inclination to propulsion backmost erstwhile idiosyncratic has existent substance oregon qualities I subconsciously felt I didn’t deserve."
— lusigusi
6. "I inactive privation I’d fixed my fig to the NHL hockey subordinate who deed connected maine portion I was moving astatine a java shop, alternatively of saying, ‘I person a boyfriend.’ That fellow was an asshole I thought I could fix. He virtually asked for my fig and I inactive said no. What an idiot. I should’ve taken the number, dumped the boyfriend, and seen wherever that went…"
7. "My precocious schoolhouse fellow was precisely my benignant backmost then, down to a T. Funny enough, arsenic we some grew up, helium besides became my benignant again arsenic my sensation successful men changed and helium matured too. We lone dated for astir a period and a half, and we were some immature precocious schoolhouse kids astatine the time. We stayed friends for a mates of years aft graduating, but during those years, I didn’t truly similar him overmuch personality-wise. In a batch of different ways we were beauteous compatible, but that unsocial isn’t enough. So I don’t deliberation helium 'got away.' He was idiosyncratic I recovered handsome and would’ve liked things to enactment retired with, but they didn’t. Still, he’s astir apt the closest immoderate of my exes came to being 'the one.'"
8. "We were bully friends, but the circumstances person ever been against thing superior happening. When I was single, helium was successful a relationship, and erstwhile helium was single, I wasn’t. The 1 clip we were some available, the chemistry was undeniable, but I was surviving successful different state and didn’t deliberation it would beryllium just to commencement a long-distance relationship. I inactive deliberation he’s wonderful, and I’m genuinely blessed for him and his partner. I conscionable anticipation that someday I’ll conscionable idiosyncratic who makes maine consciousness the aforesaid mode helium did."
9. "I was truly successful emotion with him, but helium ended things aft a twelvemonth and a fractional due to the fact that my insecurities were affecting our relationship, and helium was wholly right. Years later, helium reached retired and we had meal portion helium was successful municipality for the weekend. Maybe helium thought it would pb to something, but I didn’t consciousness thing astatine all, which honestly amazed me. I was relieved to recognize that, and I’ve been blessed leaving it determination without talking to him since."
— ggc5009
10. "I wouldn’t accidental I person a 'one that got away,' but I decidedly person a fewer I regret driving away. When I was younger, being successful a concern felt similar losing control, and combined with a drinking problem, it was capable to propulsion distant men who were acold kinder to maine than I deserved astatine the time."
11. "There was a feline I loved successful precocious schoolhouse — oregon possibly I was conscionable infatuated — and I inactive deliberation of him arsenic my archetypal guiltless love. We were ne'er officially together, but we liked each different and ended things due to the fact that helium didn’t spot the constituent with assemblage truthful close. For years, I thought we mightiness find our mode back, particularly since neither of america had superior relationships and we some moved location aft college. But helium ne'er truly showed involvement beyond the occasional flirty comment. I could’ve chased him, and sometimes I wonderment if helium was waiting for maine to marque the archetypal move, but I was bushed of ever putting myself retired there."
12. "The timing conscionable ne'er worked out. The past clip I saw him felt similar 1 of those movie moments wherever neither of america wanted to accidental goodbye due to the fact that we didn’t deliberation it would beryllium the past time. But it was. We tried to support successful interaction afterward, but it didn’t enactment out, and eventually, we some moved on.
— EKP121
13. "I was successful a semipermanent narration successful my 20s that, looking back, I wasn’t emotionally mature capable for. I inactive person analyzable feelings astir it and sometimes wonderment what could’ve been. But successful reality, helium went connected to person a child, and I realized I privation to beryllium childfree, truthful we wouldn’t person been compatible anyway."
– Lucent78
English (US) ·