Lois Lane

He looked down at his empty glass and set it on the bar as he reflected on the only other significant romance of his life...Lois. He'd certainly felt some sort of chemistry at their first meeting. And she'd clearly been interested in him but not enough to give him anything more than a lousy tip and advice to "aim higher." Chuckling, he remembered her abrupt dismissal of him as an "errand boy to the rich and arrogant". When she came to apologize for her rudeness he tried as hard as he could to keep her off balance. Despite his charm and manipulation she'd managed to stay on her toes and keep him at arms length. As they spent more time together she'd challenged him to do more, be a better man. It seemed like she was THE woman who could make his life complete. It wasn't as if he'd been ready to propose but having her in his life had made him truly happy. Then reality came crashing down upon his joy once the extent of Lex's 33.1 project came to light. Regret didn't even come close to describing how heart-wrenching it had been for him to leave.

He'd been willing to give up happiness for the greater good once but when business took him back to Metropolis he thought fate might actually be cutting him a break. Maybe there was a chance for love with Lois. In the end his alter-ego had made a romantic relationship impossible. Lois couldn't share him with the world as long as he was the Green Arrow but she wanted to be his friend. That had been harder than breaking up. He'd never made the transition from lover to friend. It was difficult for him to read Lois' concern or friendly gestures as platonic when his own heart ached for something more. He'd made one last try at opening up to Lois, letting her know the depths of his emotions in the hope she loved him in equal measure. But her love had changed, she'd moved on to Clark and he was alone, again. It took a little more time but once he figured out that Lois' happiness, even with another man, could make him happy, he was able to let go of the heartache and embrace the friendship.