I'll weigh in here. I actually had something with a friend (we were teenagers at the time, school), but didn't actually "date". Just tons of talking together, flirting, I drew pictures of her and comics of our shenanigans/mutual jokes. I left, she left, and we hadn't seen each other or talked since.

Seventeen years later, she showed up in my town. It was weird, but I had carried my crush on this for that long. We met up for a dinner, and talked.

She was getting a divorce, we started up a relationship for about three months. It was, for my part, everything I had wished it would be. She is amazing, funny, sexy, her kids and my daughter got along really well, she was a huge fan of my cooking, I could make fun of her English and she'd laugh. I'd pick her up during her bouts of depression (as well as I could, anyways), kept her amused and intellectually stimulated via books and general philosophy about the state of things.

On her part, she was not ready, having just got out of her seven-year marriage. wanting to go back to school and get higher education. Lots of emotional ups-and-downs, as she wanted to pursue something, sort of, but also wanted to get on with her life. I respected her desires, her hopes and dreams, and let her go.

Even though I've "let her go", every few months, I do have thoughts, fond remembrances, and wishes. Was it a perfect relationship? No.

But it was an amazing one.

I hate spouting platitudes, but the best thing for me has been remembering that you don't cry because it's over, you smile because it happened.

I wish I could tell you it feels better, the feeling in time goes away. It doesn't. But it's also not something to hold onto and try to get the person back into your life. She's moved on and dating someone in her hometown (which I doubt she will ever leave), so I am quite certain I'll never see her again. I offered to move, but she doesn't want me changing my life when she's not even sure she wants something.

I get it in my head sometimes to write a letter, draw a comic, write poetry (which I did all when we were together) - but I know she's put her feelings away in a box, and it's better it stay there and she enjoy her life.

I'll forever remember a perfect winter though, and a town where the trees were lit with fire.

I hope you do the same, and not try to be upset by the missed opportunity, but treasure the experience. It's better loving how you felt than hating that you can't have it again. Tears still happen, but they also come with a little smile.