Getting the Idea
It started when my partner Jen and me were drinking cheap wine last Tuesday, talking about how damn boring Netflix had become. I threw out: “Remember college? When we hooked up with random people just for fun?” Jen snorted but didn’t say no. That got me thinking – maybe we could mess with our 10-year monogamy thing without wrecking it.
Setting Up the Rules
Next morning I dragged Jen to our crappy kitchen table with burnt coffee. Told her straight: “If we do this open-relationship crap, we need ironclad rules.” We scribbled on a napkin:
- No feelings allowed – just physical stuff
- Condoms every damn time
- Zero secrets – tell immediately after
Jen added in red pen: “Cancel if either feels like puking.” Deal.
The First Test Run
Thursday night Jen went on her “business dinner” with that gym dude Mike. I pretended to watch baseball while chewing nails. When she came back at 11pm smelling like tequila, I blurted: “So?” She shrugged: “His place has ugly wallpaper. Also he snores.” We awkwardly high-fived and went to sleep back-to-back. Felt weirdly… normal?
My Turn Backfired
Tried my luck Saturday at Dave’s barbeque. Flirted with his cousin Rita near the burnt burgers. When I whispered “wanna see my garage tools?” she laughed so hard beer came out her nose. Went home solo, told Jen who cracked up yelling: “Smooth move, Casanova!” We ate cold hotdogs laughing till 3AM.
Three Weeks Later
Jen’s had two coffee dates that went nowhere. I got ghosted after sending a cactus emoji (don’t ask). We’re still the only people getting laid in this arrangement. But damn, going through this weird experiment made us way more honest somehow. Still sharing toothpaste, still fighting over thermostat – just with this strange new layer of trust we didn’t expect.
