Neither views the other as "best friend" or "boyfriend/girlfriend" anymore. Interactions are limited. The perspective changes from "we" and "us" to "you" and "me," and property is defined in terms of "mine" or "yours" rather than "ours." Both partners turn to others for confirmation of their self-concepts (p. 267). .
At the beginning of the relationship what drew us together or the short term attraction which is defined as the degree to which you perceive the potential for a relationship with a person was our shared interest such as video games specifically the Final Fantasy franchise and the Legend of Zelda franchise and our love of Japanese manga and anime (Steven A. Beebe, 2014, p. 260). We quickly realized that the long-term maintenance attractions were our personalities being well suited to each other. We were like puzzle pieces in the fact that where she had holes I didn't and vice versa. Long-term maintenance attraction is defined as the degree of liking and or the positive feeling that help motivate a person to maintain or intensify the relationship (Steven A. Beebe, 2014, p. 260). We realized that where she was rash and slightly impulsive I was calm and thoughtful. She was outgoing and I was reclusive in my dealings with the public. She was in love with love and I am fiercely independent when it comes to romantic love and relationships. We balanced each other out in so many areas that the relationship just worked. The symbiotic nature of our relationship is one of the reasons that we continued being friends for as long as we were. .
Attraction to a person encompasses a huge part of why a relationship is started and the power dynamic plays a large role in why it perseveres. Attraction is not just the physical appearance of a person but everything that can be easily perceived without really knowing a person.