Welcome to SF 17 years!

Your connection sounds like it could be your twin flame. For a love to last that long..........and to cause that much anguish sounds just like it. I'm sure upon reading up on it, you'll learn whether he is your twin or not.

But upon finding my twin, I decided that I too could easily stay celibate for however long it took............even if that meant waiting this whole lifetime.

Here is a pretty good article on twin flames that you might like:

http://www.collapsingduality.com/FAQ.html