you remind of one friend, he said: "f*cking friends f*ck up friendships but then again, you can always make new friends!"
anyway, i truly appreciate everyone's anecdotal evidence, even personal testimonies given in this thread.
here's what i realized after reading the posts and conversing with friends:
in a friendship where *** is involved, the only viable solution i can see to keep the friendship going is to NOT turn it into a f*ck buddy relationship. so long *** is not a common fixture of the friendship, i think both parties can manage to stay friends. perhaps, it's gonna be awkward the morning after. and maybe, it will take a loooooooooooong time to work things out.
i realize that if both parties have a reason not to pursue anything, then it leads to a considerably more comfortable friendship.Â* otherwise, it almost feels like either party is just waiting for circumstances to change, rather than actually being friends.