A few years ago, while working as a ski instructor up north at some unnamed resort, I made friends with an awesome guy.

A youth instructor like myself, we spent our days holding up languid 3-year-olds on the bunny slope and chasing screaming kindergarteners down larger hills, hoping against hope no one slammed into a tree in the process.

Being in a high stress (and FREEZING) situation supplied us with an instant bond, and we soon found ourselves skiing together during our free time and discussing our lives on chairlifts.

During out time together, it began to dawn on me that he was everything I had ever looked for in a guy: smart, funny, good with kids, active, gentle, and giving. He liked his parents, wrote music on his off time, and always waited for me whenever I fell into a giant snowdrift.

Basically, he was awesome. The only issue? I wasn’t attracted to him in the slightest.

He wasn’t ugly. It didn’t hurt to look him in the face or anything; he just wasn’t my type. Nothing about him made me jittery or full of butterflies, my heart never jumped when he walked into a room, and those long chairlift rides were never awkward with anticipation.

I didn’t fantasize once about kissing him.

Having an amazingly platonic friend was fine, but I often caught myself watching him coax a toddler to put on giant ski boots and wishing with all my might that I was attracted to him. If only! I’d think, squinting to see if I could make something happen. If only I could just find something…

But I never could. No matter how perfect this guy was in every way, I could feel nothing for him except comfortable nonsexual affection.

He was an Almost Husband—a guy who’s perfect in every way except for one, and that one is a deal breaker.

Sometimes, AHs (or AWs, Almost Wives) come in the form of a gay man or woman, a person you feel nothing but platonic emotions for because of obvious sexual preferences. But when an AH or AW could potentially be your significant other, that’s when it gets frustrating.

Everything is in place! you think. Why can’t I just make it happen?!
But try as you might, you can’t squeeze out even the slightest drop of sexual magnetism.

AHs and AWs are truly one of life’s most annoying occurrences.

Have your own AW or AW story? Commiserate!