Catherine & Heathcliff, or Rob and Laura Petrie?

[Jim]

Does romance have to have a throw-caution-to-the-wind quality to it, or is it simply a matter of feeling secure enough to open your heart to love?

[Christine]

I am addicted to romance, but I have to say for every second of ecstatic joy I have had, I seem to have had to pay for it by having double the pain afterwards. Almost as if the gods won't let me be too happy for long. I conclude that love can make or break me. Leonard Cohen says it best:
'I long for love and light, but must it come so warm, and oh so bright?'

[Jim]

The stereotype of romantic love is two people falling head-over-heels for each other, and having to overcome all odds to make the relationship happen. Often there is a tragedy involved, and the couple never gets a chance to settle down, raise a family, or grow old together. I have experienced the love-at-first-sight phenomenon, and it was a total rush, but usually burned out quickly. My most lasting relationships have started out as "friendships with chemistry", and then evolved into being lovers later, and finally into making a commitment. But as good as that sounds, it doesn't quite have the passion of a Romeo-and-Juliet experience. Which would I choose in retrospect? Definitely the kind that lasts, because you get to build a life together, and there's nothing like having a bond that deepens over the years.