still waiting

[Ahoy]

Lisa -- your thread is locked. If you get this, in response to your query about how to handle being in the "friend" zone -- all I can say is I'm probably there as well. BUT we don't really know if it's really the friend zone or not -- and even though they may feel that they want you in the friend zone today, they might feel differently tomorrow. And we might too. So keep an open mind.
For me, I'm NC with H, although I happily respond to his messages (most of which are focused on D14), and accept his invitations to dinner and such, rare that they are. But I don't initiate or pursue -- at all. And I am out GALing and he knows it. I ALWAYS have somewhere to be or something to do right after I see him, so I'm the first to leave -- and leave for something fun. He's too chicken to ask if I'm seeing someone else. But if he did ask, I'm not sure how I'd respond. I'm not dating anyone, and I told him when we were discussing the parameters of the separation that I'd be "social" but not "physical" in terms of dating.

Maybe I would just say that I'm not ready to discuss my personal life until he feels ready to discuss his as well, and that if we don't plan on working on the relationship then I don't see the point of discussing it at all, since I really don't need to know and vice versa.

But part of me wants to say, "Yes, I'm dating a FANTASTIC PERSON -- ME!"

Probably better to keep him guessing.