I can always tell when a friend has an orbiter. Myself? I always assumed that they were a genuine friend unless proven otherwise. My sister is the same way, and we'd point out orbiters to each other. Reading the stuff on here makes me wonder if I missed a bunch.

When I knew I had an orbiter I wasn't interested in I never really knew what to do... Having an unrequited crush sucks, so I felt empathy for the guy, but I mostly just pretended not to know because I didn't have a clue what to do with the info.

I had a few friends who I think might have been orbiters and I would have happily dated if asked. But they didn't. Or they'd say something at a totally unsuitable time, like when we were going off to different colleges.

Since getting married, I stick more to female friends. My very closest male friends weren't orbiters, but there was awkward sexual tension (like, we would have dated except for some specific reason), so some emotional distance is required. My sister hasn't set good boundaries, and then she ends up with drama. She'd never cheat, but a "friend" trying to convince her to makes her super distressed.