After some less than cheerful breakups (and the occasional psychotic phone call from a disgruntled ex) it was time for The Miss to find someone who could reveal why breaking up is so hard to do. Turns out all we needed was a guy. Dating expert and author Evan Marc Katz sat down to break up with us—the nice way.

SM: Can a breakup be amicable?
Evan: Absolutely. There are a lot of people who feel that there’s some sort of game to dating, that if one person wins then the other person loses. It’s not about that. If two people realize that they’re not meant to spend the rest of their lives together, it doesn’t mean that everything is bad or that the entire relationship is irredeemable. It means that maybe 90% is right and 10% is wrong and you can’t overcome that 10%. So you part with love and wish the person the best. And when you have that distance, you maintain that person in your life as a friend. I’m friends with a bunch of women I’ve dated.

SM: Really?
Evan: My poor girlfriend has met half of them.