For most of us, the path to finding the right person isn’t a straight line. Rather, it looks more like a jagged zig zag full of twists, turns and lots of “start overs.” And you know what? That’s a good thing. Experiencing a wide range of different kinds of relationships and dating situations means that when we do eventually find the right relationship, it’s that much more easy to recognize.

With that said, when you’re trying to find your way along that twisty path, it can sometimes feel like you’ll never reach the finish line. Being single in this day and age means experiencing a lot of “almost relationships.” These kinds of casual, undefined relationships can teach us a lot of valuable lessons, but they can also be frustrating as hell.

Here’s a handful of “almost relationships” we experience before we meet “The One.” Do any of them sound familiar?

1. The friend with benefits (FWB)

Ah yes, the notion of the FWB has been getting a lot of attention in pop culture over the past 5 years. From the JT and Mila Kunis flick, Friends with Benefits to the Portman/Kutcher No Strings Attached, the popular imagination is no stranger to the FWB relationship. Most of us have been in this kind of “almost relationship” at least once in our romantic careers. The tale is as old as time: you’re friends who are attracted to each other but instead of dating, you decide to just fulfill, ahem, certain needs for each other. You’re each other’s “it’s 1am, wanna come over?” call. Maybe neither of you are in a place to commit or you can’t really see a serious future with each other – either way, the no-strings attached convenience of the FWB relationship works until it doesn’t. As soon as one person catches feelings, things always get messy.

2. The work husband/wife.

You spend hours together in the boardroom poring over spreadsheets. You travel together to conferences. You know each other’s coffee orders (sugar free vanilla latte/americano, black) and how you like your steak (medium rare.) You know all of the intricacies of each other’s personal lives, families and favourite TV shows. But here’s the thing: you’re not together. You’re not even romantically involved. You’re each other’s work spouse. You both have other partners or dating lives that you go home to, but when you’re at work – you’re a team. We spend so much time at the office that it’s natural for these kinds of intimate friendships to develop. They’ve got your back in the board room and can offer you great dating advice on how to handle that dude you just met on Tinder. As long as no boundaries are crossed, it’s a win/win.

3. The long distance flirtation.

Perhaps they work in your company’s other location on the other side of the country or you met at a mutual friend’s wedding, but regardless of the situation, when you met sparks flew and you hooked up. Now you’re living in two different geographic locations, flirting up a storm long distance whenever you’re not dating other people. You don’t really know each other well enough to date long distance (besides, you’re both happily tied to your respective cities) but there’s definitely some serious chemistry there that makes you wonder, “what if?”

4. The “I’m not into labels” relationship.

This is by far the most frustrating kind of “almost relationship” because it’s basically a relationship – except for the fact that one party refuses to acknowledge it as such. Most of us have been in a situation before. You spend huge chunks of time together, sleepover and cook meals together, but you’re not “together, together” because one person refuses to call you their boyfriend/girlfriend. While these kinds of relationships can be good learning experiences, essentially, the line “I really want to be with you but I’m not into labels” is BS. If someone really wants to be with you they’re excited to shout it from the roof-tops.  It’s incredibly liberating when you finally realize this and move on.

5. The pseudo boyfriend/girlfriend.

If a friend with benefits fulfills the physical needs of an actual relationship, the pseudo boyfriend/girlfriend fulfills everything else. With your pseudo you always have someone to go to brunch with or take as a plus one to a wedding, but the relationship is strictly platonic. While having a pseudo can be really great, like the FWB, things can get complicated if one party decides that they want more. In the meantime though, it’s nice to know you always have someone to drink mimosas with on a Sunday morning.