boyfriend:

There is a difference between ‘boyfriend’ & ‘boy  friend’ — with and without a space between ‘boy’ and ‘friend’.

With a “boy  friend” – with a space between the two words, probably a classmate or neighbour, a girl spends some time, alone or together with other boys and girls. She does not allow him to have much physical contact… not more than a pat on the shoulder, just a handshake or at the most, on special occasions, a light kiss on the cheek. A girl seldom discusses personal matters with a “boy  friend”. And when the boy is with other girls, she does not feel anything and may join them and have a chat… without any emotions or, more importantly, without any jealousy. She does not always think of him or remember him and does not expect him to come to her aid whenever she is in trouble. The friendship ends because of circumstances, such as the boy going to a different school or college, the boy’s parents moving to another place or the boy finding a girlfriend, and there are no emotions and regrets in parting. The friendship may or may not continue for ever.

With a ‘boyfriend’ — without a space between the two words, however, there is more than just friendship; there is romance … a sort of romantic relationship! The girl moves more closely with him, and allows him to have more freedom to touch her, to caress her and even have foreplay at times and have sex, in some rare cases. A girl does not tolerate when her ‘boyfriend’ is seen with another girl or she does not allow other girls talk about him. She develops emotional feelings for him and expects the same or even more from him in response. She thinks of him and expects him to be by her side whenever she needs some help or company. A boyfriend is, more or less, like a lover, but may not be for a very long time. A relationship with a boyfriend, most often, breaks up out of choice — the boy being dishonest with his girl, the girl not liking his new habits or friends, the girl being attracted to another boy, etc., and whatever be the reason for breaking up, they both feel emotional outbreaks, regret for being or not being in that relationship, and, in most cases, the regret turning into hatred, and, in some rare cases, the hatred turning into envy and vengeances, and then ultimately violence.