I think everybody has these kinds of friends, those that you love dearly but you just have absolutely nothing to talk about. It could stem from the fact that one (or both) simply holds back so much of their life it's impossible to have anything to discuss other than mindless chatter. It could also stem from the fact that you are just two very different people with little to nothing in common.

It's always a curious position to have friends like these. You get along perfectly well, you may even like being in their company, but there is just nothing to talk about. This is not so much a friendship/relationship (f/r) killer as it is a f/r staller. You can still progress, but only so far, and if some new growth and development doesn't occur, the f/r will eventually deteriorate into bland pleasantries.

I call this stage 2 friendship (more on state 1 later). It's a stage of malaise. It is, however, possible to break free from it, but it depends entirely on the reason the couple is stuck in stage 2 to begin with. If it's from the fact that one or both are simply holding back, then once one or both start to open up, things can progress rapidly. If, however, two people just simply have nothing in common, it's perhaps impossible to break free.