What do you call when you love someone but cant be with them?

“Unrequited love” describes a relationship state, but not a state of mind. Unrequited love encompasses the lover who isnt reciprocating, as well as the lover who desires. La douleur exquise gets at the emotional heartache, specifically, of being the one whose love is unreciprocated.

What does it mean when someone says they love you but cant be with you?

Were not there yet. This is usually in response to you telling them you love them or are in love with them. Its actually the best-case scenario when someone says, I love you, but Im not in love with you, because it means that theyre still interested in moving forward. Theyre just afraid of screwing things up.