Friends, or More than Friends?

My roommate and I were discussing the concept of "not wanting someone to know you like them" the other day.  I've written a blogpost about it, she's written a blogpost about it, and we both admit that we are terrible when it comes to this.  Anyway, this conversation made me start thinking about the whole girls and guys being just friends and how more often than not, a lot of the time, when we are hyper-protective of our feelings and we worry about the other person finding out is in cases of "friendship".

I personally believe that men and women cannot be "just" friends [at all times].  We're not talking acquaintance or a close acquaintance or someone you know pretty well, or a person who is a common part of the group you "chill" with, we're talking a friend--

Friend:
[frend] n. 1. a person attached to another by affection or personal regard.  2. a person to whom secrets are confided, or with whom private matters or problems are shared. 3. a person intimately/emotionally close to you.

I am whole heartedly convinced that a man and a woman cannot be friends in the true sense of the word.  Why am I so sure?  Well let me give you a couple of Nicole's life examples.

Number One:  Nate
I like, "liked" Nate.  He didn't "like" me.  He thought that we were "just friends" and when a mutual friend told him in Spanish at a Yellowcard concert (while I was standing there) that I like, "liked" him, our friendship... for lack of a better word was terminado.  So much for being "just friends".

Number Two: Jason
When I met Jason though a mutual friend I didn't really think that much of him, I was too busy like "liking" Nate.  Too bad for Jason because as it turns out he like, "liked" me.  We hung out a lot and time went by and after awhile I decided that I didn't like Nate anymore and that I kinda "liked" Jason, but by that point Jason like, "liked" someone else.  While all of this "liking" went on we were "just friends" apparently.

Number Three: We'll call this one "James" 
So, I met James through a friend and at the time I was dating someone and within a few weeks we broke up.  James being the understanding guy that he was offered his condolences and advice and offered to "be there whenever I needed him."  It wasn't too long into this that I started considering James as one of my best friends only to find out that he only did all those nice things because he was hoping to date me... uh not classy.

If you disagree with me, that's fine, just think about the question posed in the following video, think of your "friend" and think would I "hook up" with him/her given the opportunity or would he/she hook up with me given the opportunity?  If the answer is "yes" then my dearies they/you are not really in the friendship mode.

So, look to the left and answer the poll, can men and women really be just friends?.