Episode

Friends for 16 Years. Lovers for One Night. (Encore)

Podcast: Modern Love
Published: Jun 24, 2026
Duration seconds: 2386
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Canonical source: https://www.nytimes.com/column/modern-love-podcast
Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pfx.vpixl.com/6qj4J/pscrb.fm/rss/p/nyt.simplecastaudio.com/db3c768b-254c-4291-946b-8216b0b2a2a1/episodes/2fdb036d-9ff3-4f58-aa2c-a2f662ce1b19/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=db3c768b-254c-4291-946b-8216b0b2a2a1&awEpisodeId=2fdb036d-9ff3-4f58-aa2c-a2f662ce1b19&feed=0N8Hs1MH
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Summary

Elizabeth and Jeff were best friends. They did everything together, from early-morning runs to late-night karaoke sessions. They came up with secret code names for each other and went on undercover missions in their neighborhood. They fought, and made up, and fought some more. Beneath their playful dynamic, an attraction was growing between them, but Elizabeth never wanted to risk the friendship by exploring it. Then Jeff got sick, and things changed. In this episode, the story of a once-in-a-lifetime friendship, from the very beginning to the very end. This episode is adapted from Elizabeth Laura Nelson’s 2024 essay Friends for 16 Years. Lovers for One Night.