Relationships are as common as double-headed love bugs in March. You've established a relationship with everyone you've ever met - from your professors and peers to the Chick-Fil-A guy who knows your order before you even reach the register.
In order to progress, understand and enjoy sex, you will first need to understand relationships. Sex without a relationship is like sex without a condom. It feels great, but it can lead to trouble. Here's how to protect yourself.
The first type of relationship is friendship, which occurs when there is understanding, trust and respect without sex. If you choose to take your relationship to the next level, it can be risky. Whether the sex is good or bad, it can end with a possible-yet-unrealistic happily ever after or a terribly awkward situation. Your friends should be the people who you're sharing your stories with, not your bed.
The second type is known by many names: friends with benefits, bed buddies, eight to eights, etc. Don't take these pseudo-relationships too seriously because problems occur when emotions run outside of the sack. If you get too attached you can wind up with hurt feelings. So take it for what it's worth and have fun.
The final type of relationship is based on love. Love is like a second job: It requires lots of time, energy and effort. Love is when you can imagine your current crush in 50 years with gray hair and sagging body parts, and they're still attractive in your eyes.
If you're willing to put in the work, you'll have something wonderful. You'll have what most people are looking for.
