There's only one who comes close. I caught sight of him in the distance during my first term at university and felt a magnetic pull, but told myself he was way out of my league - cool, handsome, quirky, well-liked, and stupendously intelligent. We weren't on the same course or even the same campus yet through a series of coincidences we got to know each other through mutual friends and a group of us ended up sharing a house together for the next five years.
During that time we bonded through music, films, literature, and some extremely surreal experiences that I can't do justice to here without writing a novel. We both got into numerous tempestuous relationships with other people during those five years. His girlfriends were all stunning and I ruled out the possibility of us ever being more than friends.
Then one day I came home to find him curled up on my bed. I was gobsmacked when he told me that he'd been in love with me for a long time and needed to know whether I felt the same. For the first time since we'd met we were both single, and what followed was a magical couple of months that I will never forget. We both knew it couldn't last - he'd taken a job on the other side of the world and for various reasons I was tied to the UK. Neither of us put any pressure on the other, we just enjoyed what we had while it lasted, which made it even more poignant. Even now, I can relive every passionate moment in slow motion, to a soundtrack of our favourite music.
He never did return to the UK - while working in Asia he met his future wife and relocated to her native North America. I too am happily married to a wonderful man and we both have young families. 20 years on, we still keep in touch regularly, sending friendly messages on social media, genuinely pleased to see each other doing well.
Recently, he paid a brief visit alone to the UK for a relative's funeral and we spent the day together reminiscing about times past. We clicked as though we'd never been apart and the pull I felt towards him was incredibly strong. I sensed he felt the same way, and when we said goodbye, we had a long hug that said more than words ever could - neither of us would cross a line and betray our spouses - in fact, if he were capable of that I'd lose my attraction for him in an instant. However, this meeting left me with an unshakeable feeling that he was the only one - except for my husband - with who I was compatible enough to have built a life had circumstances been different...