Why is Gen Z so obsessed with 'almost relationships'?

Nothing is as romantic as a relationship that never quite happened. Preserved in possibility, it’s a near-miss dynamic that exists in an exclusively liminal space; you’re not quite together, but there’s enough evidence to suggest that one day, were all the stars to suddenly align, you might be. And so you cling on, wondering, waiting, hoping.

- OLIVIA PETTER

Introducing the “almost relationship”, a dynamic that has captured pop culture (Normal People), literature (Wuthering Heights) and delusionally romantic people (hello) for centuries.

To be clear, this is not the same thing as a situationship. Modern dating is complicated enough for that to be a separate problem entirely, one characterised by a romantic relationship with a distinct absence of labels or commitment, as well as a maddening lack of clarity. It’s terrible, but it’s also different.

The almost relationship is one that exists almost entirely in your imagination. Maybe you’ve hooked up once or twice, and for a brief moment in time, something tangible was on the cards. But then life got in the way: perhaps an ex resurfaced, or one of you wasn’t quite sure. Perhaps there was a work crisis, or a poorly relative who required all of your attention.