This, that, and the other

This is what we all look for. A good friendship, between a man and a woman. Now, a lot of skeptics out there do not believe in friendships between a man and a woman. Now, I'm not talking about those run of the mill, typical hi-bye friendship, this is more like the close-knit, share everything kind of friendship. There is always something at stake when it comes to those kind of friendship. How can those two be so close without developing feelings for each other? And what about the physical attraction? Unless one party resembles a beach whale (no offense to any whales out there), there must be some sparks, if not a big one, at least a small tiny spark that of course, could ignite into a bigger one.

Nevertheless, despite of all that, sometimes, it does work. The friendship, not the spark. Years of being there for each other, talking to each other, accompanying one another to the movies, having dinner together, those ought to create a sense of comfort and security between the man and the woman. A sense of knowing that there is a line drawn somewhere, and that line will always be there, for friendship sake. Cross the line and things will never be the same again. Ever.

That rarely happens, but in certain circumstances, it does happen. Let say, for experimental purposes, the man and the woman decided to have a physical relationship, maybe out of desperation, or even probably boredom. Hey, it happens, okay. There are instances where you have not had a working relationship for a very long time, so you start to look closer, say under your nose. And you suddenly realised that you have been friends with her for so long now that why not just sleep with her? It doesn't have to be a complicated relationship. You already have this going on with her, now all you want is that.

So the both of you come up with a set of rules to make sure that the friendship stays intact, plus you get the bonus of having a physical relationship. Three simple rules:

1. No calls the day after that
2. Spending the night is optional
3. No good night kiss

Now, these rules are important. It eliminates the pressure of feeling the need to be responsible, when you are not a couple. You are just friends, and will remain so. Most of the time, one party is expected to call the day after sex, probably to say something like, "last night was a mistake," or "last night was wonderful, I'm already missing you," or "are you free tonight?" And there is no need to spend the night after having sex, you can just pick up your clothes and head home. But since it is optional, of course you have the liberty of sleeping over (and there is always morning sex, but we all know how that's going to end). And most importantly, you don't feel the pressure of kissing your date goodnight when it wasn't even a date to begin with. It's just two friends, having dinner together. So no good night kiss. Simple as that.

Of course, now that you have this and that, things couldn't be better. I mean, you're still friends, and you're having sex with your friend every now and then. But beware, it won't last for long. Sooner or later, this and that won't be sufficient enough. Because sooner or later, you would want the other. And that's when things get complicated.

Because you see, the other is simply, a total relationship. Commitment and responsibility. Calling every day, kissing goodnight, spending the night. Those are all in the other. And now that you have this, that and the other, you are now officially, a couple.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. But if things didn't work out, then just remember, you might lose this. And you will definitely won't have that with her anymore. Ever.