Well, you're 41..... you haven't found it. I'm 45 and I haven't found it. The two of us are but a tiny sample size but we can augment this with what we see from those in relationships all around us. Of all my married friends, or my friends in relationships, I would guess that maybe just one of them are healthy and happy and truly love each other, respect each other, and are turned on by one another. Doesn't mean there are never challenges but overall they work well together. So can you be friends with a girl and then become lovers? Sure, but it is incredibly rare. So rare it can't be relied upon and the 99.9% odds are that if you choose to try to take this approach, you'll waste your entire life's energy being used by women who don't truly like you, getting almost nothing in return, and feeling frustrated time after time again.
Second, all these interviews of "glowing happy couples", how do you know they are all being honest? How do you know she didn't settle on him as a beta provider and he's just happy to get whatever sex she's willing to give him and has no idea she's banging Chad behind his back? And you are seeing these interviews for a reason - if they stop people on the street at random and ask them how happy they are and how they met, out of 100 couples, assuming all are honest, how many of those are truly happy and would say they started out as friends? And of the 100 couples, if the producers of the show only had the time to broadcast 5 of the 100, which ones do you think they would choose? Do you think they are biased?
Why do I believe there are generally only two options? Because this is what I have both seen in other relationships, and what I've experienced in my own personal evolution via red pill awareness. Every girl I dated after my divorce (when I was blue pilled) dumped me. My divorce was my ex-wife's decision. Then I learned why. I wasn't masculine enough. I was exuding needy, relationship-driven, beta provider vibes thanks to my upbringing and societal brain washing. Aren't those the same vibes that would help people get together in an LTR starting out as friends?? Then why was I constantly dumped when I was such a nice and caring and cooperative guy? I just wanted a relationship and to do nice things for my GFs. Seems logical it would make a relationship work right? Never did. And I see the same thing day in and day out both here on the forum, and with my friends in real life. One of my friends for example is 28 and he wants an LTR and to have a family. He treats his GFs very well, makes good money, decent looking, funny, wants to spend time with them, but they all dump him. Why? Same reason they dumped me. Once I started operating in a masculine manner, I became the decision maker in ending or continuing relationships, I got hotter and younger women, the women were more highly interested and invested in me, and the sex was 10x better. While this is better than getting dumped, it brings its own set of problems as I discussed before.
It's your choice though. Go make friends with a bunch of women and do nice things for them. Watch as they absorb it all and maybe give you some mixed messages on their feelings toward you - enough to string you along another month or year, and then you watch as they sleep with other guys. The last girl I dated for 18 months was a solid 8, maybe 8.5. She had several guys who were playing that simp role where they were always spending time with her and giving her attention and doing nice things for her "as a friend". They had invested literally YEARS in her. She knew they wanted to bang her but she liked what they were offering her so she compartmentalized them as friends and that's all it would ever be. I almost felt bad for them when SHE slid into my DMs, having never met me before, and within two weeks I was pounding her 3x a night and cvmming in her. I knew their disappointment because I'd tried their strategy and wasted too much of my life's time and energy on it.
Buddy of mine who I would describe as alpha - his ex GF from 2 years ago is engaged to be married to some beta provider looking dude now. She texted my friend a few weeks back and asked him for a hookup, drove over to his house and fvcked his brains out. She is still engaged to be married to the other guy. Are you seeing a pattern?