To my fellow men, do you ever get over the lingering feeling of that first love you’re no longer with?

I’m 21M in college, and I keep thinking about my first love from high school. We broke up about two years ago because of distance. The relationship had its issues, but the love was real. It hit different.

Since then, most of what I’ve had with other women has been surface-level or straight-up lust. Nothing feels deep. I try to date, but I lose interest fast because that spark just isn’t there. And honestly, it has me feeling lost. I’m happy she’s living her life, but the memories still pop up and make me wonder if I’m ever going to feel something real again.

For the guys who’ve been through this — does that feeling ever fade? Do you eventually find a real connection again, or do you just learn to move on without that same spark?