Can men and women ever be 'just friends'? Or will romantic feelings get in the way?

Some inter-gender friendships are affected by gossip, rumours and assumptions that there 'has to be' more to the platonic relationship than there is. Photo: 123rf.com

Every weekend, Maya B, 34, and Victor W, 29, meet up and spend time together. They go for coffee, hang out at the mall, watch a movie, indulge in online games, go bowling, play tennis, or even go jungle trekking. But the duo aren’t a couple – they’re just friends.

Maya and Victor believe it’s possible for a heterosexual man and woman to be just friends with each other. But they say it’s “other people” who sometimes make it “complicated” because of false assumptions that inter-gender friendships are not possible. Sometimes, there’s also “gossip” about the status of their bond.