Yes. I thought about my first boyfriend all the time after we split. I was 21, he was 28 and he was lovely. I still think he's lovely, even though he dumped me horribly. He was a nice bloke, with decent morals, but (at the time) thought he would never settle down.
He'd had a shitty childhood in some ways, (dad killed himself in front of him, after years of mental health issues, mum ran off with another bloke, severely disabled older brother died in front of him, epileptic fit, so was basically not great with relationship stuff).
I saw him on FB recently and he dyes his hair (Yuk!). He still looks good though and I know he's a good bloke. He did marry eventually. I just wasn't the right girl for him. He seems to be successful in his chosen field, which I'm pleased about, and I use him as a example often for dd that if you stick with what you want to do when you're old and don't let other people tell you it can't be done, you'll go far.
I love DH madly, but not in the same lustful way as I did 1st bf. Now I love dh way more than I could ever have loved bf. He was right for me when I was 21...if we hadn't split up, I'd have never developed a personality or the strength/will to stand on my own two feet. I really believe there's a reason for love working out (or not!).