History Main / OldFlameFizzle

[[caption-width-right:350:The flames of passion have fizzled out...]]
''Sometimes absence makes the heart fonder than its object deserves...''
Alice is delighted to meet someone again. Perhaps it's Carol, her BestFriend in school; perhaps it's Bob, whom she was engaged to, and whom [[IWillWaitForYou she has waited for]].

Within minutes of their meeting, she realizes this is a big mistake. One or both of them have changed too much, or she realizes things she had never seen before, or it becomes apparent that [[WantingIsBetterThanHaving the reality does not live up to the fantasy]]. In an inversion of ObliviousToLove, Alice may realize that she has long fallen ''out'' of love, and quite often, that she was ObliviousToLove in a third character.

* ''Series/MotherlandFortSalem'': In "Homo Cantus" Scylla runs into an ex-girlfriend of hers, Vira, who's clearly still into her (she goes in for a kiss straightaway), unaware Scylla's now with Raelle. Once this is made clear though she silently accepts it and moves on.

* {{Subverted}} in ''Manga/AsteroidInLove''. Soon after Mira and Ao's reunion, both of them mistakenly thought the other doesn't them them anymore, although with some help from Moe, the misunderstanding was cleared up within a day.

* ''Anime/{{Patlabor}}'': In ''The New Files'', it's revealed that Kumagami once had a relationship with [[spoiler: [[AffablyEvil Richard Wong]]]]. This naturally leads to a confrontation between the exes, just before he makes his escape. [[spoiler: Wong]] {{troll}}s her by pretending to give himself up, because of his feelings for her. She falls for it, he [[BridalCarry scoops up her up]], then... [[Funny/{{Patlabor}} dumps her in a laundry basket]] and runs off. Needless to say, Kumagami considers them [[ShipSinking DONE.]]

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* In ''Webcomic/BlueYonder'', [[http://www.blueyondercomic.net/comics/1610977/blue-yonder-chapter-2-page-28/ meeting another superhero again means discovering it's been reprogrammed, and likes it.]]
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* In the 9th volume of ''Manga/SuperGals'', Yuuya realizes that he no longer has a crush on Ran when he saw her enjoying herself with her boyfriend and felt no jealousy. In a similar vein, he finally realizes that the girl he cares about is Mami.

* ''Manga/HighschoolOfTheDead'': [[{{meganekko}} Saya]] used to have a crush [[ChildhoodFriend on Takashi]], when they were kids, and it's implied that she might've still had feelings for him at the beginning of the manga. But she moves on and eventually settles into a platonic relationship with him as she grows closer to [[{{megane}} Hirano.]]

Tends to be treated far more sympathetically than AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder. But it can also a demonstration of fatuity on Alice's part--her dreams were overly romanticized, or forgot that time was passing for the other character.

Inverse of NewOldFlame.

** "Every Time That It Rains" tells of a romantic encounter between the narrator and a waitress. They try to go for a second date but it's just not the same and they decide to be just friends.

* In Creator/LMMontgomery's ''Literature/ATangledWeb'', used twice.

* In the first season of ''Series/ShamelessUS'', Fiona starts flirting with the guy she had a crush on in high school, who also [[YourCheatingHeart happens to be unhappy in his marriage]], but once they have a very awkward sexual encounter in [[AutoErotica the back of his van]] (while surrounded by baby stuff no less), Fiona doesn't feel the same anymore.

* In the 9th volume of ''Manga/SuperGals'', Yuuya realises that he no longer has a crush on Ran when he saw her enjoying herself with her boyfriend and felt no jealousy. In a similar vein, he finally realises that the girl he cares about is Mami.

* An episode of ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' where Woody from ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' shows up has this happen to Frasier. While he enjoys the first night that the two hang out, when he and Woody start spending more time with each other he quickly realises that they've grown apart and have very little in common aside from their past connection to Cheers, but can't bring himself to hurt Woody's feelings by revealing this. Ironically, it turns out that Woody was experiencing the exact same thing from his perspective but couldn't bring himself to hurt ''Frasier's'' feelings about it. Once the misunderstanding's cleared up, the two part ways amicably agreeing to hang out for one night only in another ten years or so.

* ''Series/{{Shameless}}'' (US version): Fiona starts flirting with the guy she had a crush on in high school, but once the have a very awkward sexual encounter Fiona doesn't feel the same anymore.

Alice is delighted to meet someone again. Perhaps it's Carol, her {{Best Friend}} in school; perhaps it's Bob, whom she was engaged to, and whom [[IWillWaitForYou she has waited for]].

* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': Monica's situation, when she runs into her [[{{FirstLove}} Richard]] after a painful break up several years before. Her boyfriend [[{{SecondLove}} Chandler]], freaks out, thinking she's still crazy about Richard, but Monica's first reaction is that she feels nothing for Richard anymore and there are NoSparks. (Of course convincing [[{{InsecureLoveInterest}} Chandler]] of this, is a whole other mission.)
* ''{{Shameless}}'' (US version): Fiona starts flirting with the guy she had a crush on in high school, but once the have a very awkward sexual encounter Fiona doesn't feel the same anymore.

* In Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''IfThisGoesOn --'', John's DearJohnLetter inspires brief agony before Maggie asks him to remember the girl, and he realizes that she had not impressed herself on his memory.

* In MichaelFlynn's ''[[Literature/SpiralArm The January Dancer]]'', Hugh finds that {{Fire Forged Friends}}hip faded over time, and one such friend resents his return.

* In Creator/DorothyLSayers' ''[[LordPeterWimsey Gaudy Night]]'', Harriet Vane goes to Gaudy Night to meet an old school friend. Within minutes, they are making painfully polite inquires about the other's life, and Harriet is thinking it's terrible, and she should never have come.

''Sometimes absence makes the heart fonder than its object deserves…''

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* An episode of ''Anime/RumicTheater'' has a man being invited to a school reunion by a girl he remembers having a crush on, and who might just have reciprocated, but he was transferred out before he could learn the truth. His current married life is… disappointing, and he fantasizes about having a fling while simultaneously realizing how unlikely that would be. At the reunion he meets the woman who reveals that she ''did'' have a crush on him, and is conveniently recently divorced… and is now grossly overweight, not one bit pretty and a sloppy drunk. He decides to bail out early. [[spoiler: On his way to the train, the man meets the actual girl he was thinking of (both women have the same given name) who is just as pretty and likeable as he remembers… and is happily married with several children who made her late for the reunion. He returns home somewhat heartened and determined to make his own marriage work.]]
* ''Anime/{{Patlabor}}'': In ''The New Files'', it's revealed that Kumagami once had a relationship with [[spoiler: [[AffablyEvil Richard Wong]]]]. This naturally leads to a confrontation between the exes, just before he makes his escape. [[spoiler: Wong]] {{troll}}s her by pretending to give himself up, because of his feelings for her. She falls for it, he [[BridalCarry scoops up her up]], then… [[Funny/{{Patlabor}} dumps her in a laundry basket]] and runs off. Needless to say, Kumagami considers them [[ShipSinking DONE.]]

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