Boyfriend/girlfriend: I never gave it much thought. I mean, I do think it sounds very young, but it wouldn't bother me either way to be introduced as "friend", "girlfiend", or whatever, because "pet names" aren't important, to me. I also wouldn't be concerned with what others outside of the relationship thought, either.
What's important to me are the other person's actions. That means how he treats me when it's just the two of us, and how he treats me around others. I don't know why, but I think as I've gotten older, I've become more in tuned with what is truly important. Whatever the reason --surface stuff, words, pet names, etc. that has nothing to do with the man himself falls by the wayside, for me.
I think the bottom line is if you are not walking in the same direction with the other person in life, you will end up going separate ways, whether you use "pet names" or not.
