Just Friends?

I wonder if a man and a woman can ever be just friends with absolutely no stigma attached? One of my best friends I have is a girl and we talk about all things including our relationships and sex lives. This is really good for me to get her unbiased opinion. I respect her as a friend and although I really wanted more when I first met her, that feeling has completely gone. We've been close for about 8-9 years now. Speaking honestly however, if the situation came up, I'd probably try it on with her. The point is I don't really want to.
Anyway, this is a rare type of friendship and the thing that prompted me to post now was that I had a girl stay at my place last night. This girl is really good looking and works in a snack bar but at the same time she recently started working as an English teacher for young kids. We had sex a couple of times before, but I cooled things off. She's not really my type and I didn't want to be in something too deep after my last break up. Anyway, I proposed we just be friends.
We met last night as friends and had some dinner. I invited her back to my place to see the pics of my last vacation. This wasn't a ploy to get her to come in, she genuinely wanted to see the pics. We got sleepy and I offered her to share my futon. I just wanted to sleep. I slept with my arm around her. I wonder if she feels confused about this.

In the breakup with my last girlfriend, she offered we meet as friends sometimes. I told her that if I saw her I would only want to fuck her. It would be too difficult and torturous to not do that. I declined the offer. She understood, because really, she felt the same and she said that. The breakup was her father's decision for her to get married to a nice Japanese man with a good job. Well, that's what she said, but I think she too wanted to have a that. In her eyes, 24-25 is getting old and marriage should be coming soon. She said that for her to move on she needed to stop loving me.

Now I just want to see her and say hello, to know that she's ok. Having no communication sux. I send her messages sometimes and she replies a few days later with a short response. I guess she's ok. We couldn't ever be just friends without wanting more though.