>>And you know, even after decades of experience and being romantic (as far as I know) myself, I still can't pin down what's the difference between romantic and queerplatonic ties of the same depth, after you take out kissing on the mouth which seems to be the only thing romantic couples routinely do that platonic couples usually don't (not counting sex, which isn't the same as romance). To me it just seems like a slightly different flavor of feeling. I have to wonder if some other people experience it differently, given their descriptions.<<

I have trouble with this too, although maybe moreso. For me, sometimes even distinguishing what the difference between friendship and romance is is hard, if you take out the kissing and sex bits. I'm not sure if I'm romantic or not, since I don't seem to have the clear, intense lovey-dovey feelings a lot of people do, though I do enjoy close companionship.