'Probably the easiest definition of an intime friend is someone else, not related by blood, for whom our existence matters significantly; someone, who is not our family per se but who cares whether we are around or not. In practical terms this means a person who, if they called you at a time when they expected you at home and found you were not there, would wonder a bit as they hung up the phone about where you might be and hope that you are OK.'
David Morrison, Beyond Gay, p.181.
