isn't having a friend as a lover more risky?

Well, it depends. Sometimes you want different things, so if you don't rush and try to keep things kind of simple, a lot of people can stay friends after that. For example, Elaine and Jerry on Seinfeld. There's a lot of people like that in real life, too, if you know a few. It's good to try not to have a messy breakup with anyone, people can remain valuable friends if they don't end up hating each other. But, what happens happens, people move on.

This is a tricky subject but here's how I see it. A relationship is established with everyone we meet. Whether they are just an acquitance, a good friend, best friend, lover, girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, or wife. Even someone that you might meet in a bar and have a one night stand with is something more than just a "roll in the hay". Any physical relationship is risky plain and simple. Not only do you have physical risks but emotional too. In the last year, I met a man and him and I became very good friends. Neither of us wanted to be in a relationship at the time and friends was a good thing to be. But after a month or so the physical attraction became more than we could handle so our relationship turned into the "friends and lovers" that you speak of. Luckily for me, our relationship developed beyond that and we know live together and are very happy. But having given it some thought, I believe that had it not progressed him and I would have remained good friends reguardless. I think it all really depends on the nature of the relationship before the physical part comes into play.

I disagree. I have a friend like that. We have tried to sustain a committed relationship twice and it just didn't work out. But we are still the best of friends. When we are in relationships, we respect each other's relationships. When we aren't, sometimes things still get romantic between us. He says we are going to end up together in the long run. I don't know, but I'm open to the idea.