set your stakes too high, you're bound to lose

"...that feeling of excitement when thinking about him. The automatic lift in spirits when thinking that you get to see him again."
"Yeah, I still get that, not as strong as it used to be, but it's still there. When was your last time?"
"B--- gave me that feeling. It was fun but it waned with time. We never dated, we just were friends. I knew he knew but I guess he chose to do nothing about it. And that was his decision and I never forced anything, well one night I did... at the bar, I got shot down. We never spoke of that again, just went on like nothing had happened. I always figured that we'd be good... even great together. I guess it just wasn't meant to be. Oh well, that's just part of the game. I feel like I've played the game for too long. I'm ready to bow out for awhile."