I would hope so; I so rarely get to speak from direct experience, particularly on matters of the heart. Frankly it's kind of exciting to know something firsthand.



My best friend had a crush on me for years, or at the very least she believed she did, which is basically the same thing. And while I didn't realize I was asexual until near the end of that period, it didn't take us long after she admitted her crush to determine that I couldn't be her boyfriend. But she pined, and so I wished that I could be who she wanted me to be. It pained me for a long time that even though I would do anything for her, I couldn't pretend that the love I felt for her was eros rather than philia. And I never actually got over it; it simply ceased to be an issue once she told me that she realized I had only ever matched what she thought she should want in a romantic partner, not what she actually did want. If that was a lie, I hope she never admits it.



I hope that Rainbow has an easier time than I did. It was an essential part of becoming who I am today, but I think the fact that it took several years was rather excessive.