Dale’s dating profile included his expensive car, a terrace with an impressive view, and several carefully accidental references to success. He wanted…
Marriage & Desire
We Both Liked Museums. We Wanted Different Kinds of Dating.
Sarah, forty-three, met Tom, forty-eight, through an app. Both mentioned museums and sport, and their first date at an art exhibition felt promising.…
Marriage & Desire
How to Write a Love Note That Sounds Like You
A good love note does not need to resemble a famous poem. It needs to sound as though one particular person wrote it for another. Specificity does more…
Bedroom Talk
Can a Doctor Tell Whether You’ve Had Sex?
A genital examination cannot reliably establish a person’s sexual history. In particular, the appearance of the hymen cannot prove whether someone has…
Bedroom Talk
What Does “Outie” Mean When People Talk About the Vulva?
“Outie” is an informal term often used when the inner labia extend beyond the outer labia. It is not a medical diagnosis, a statement about sexual…
Marriage & Desire
I Helped Her Prepare for the Big Night. I Thought We’d Celebrate Together.
For weeks, Dan had taken on extra work at home while Lisa prepared for an important professional event. He did the laundry, kept meals moving, and made…
Playful Escapades
The Business Trip Had an Extremely Flexible Definition of Networking
My boss, Karen, believed in networking. At the conference, this began with professional introductions and continued long after the people wearing name…
Marriage & Desire
A Man’s Role in a Relationship: Be a Partner People Can Rely On
There is no universal job description that makes a man a good partner. Providing, protecting, listening, and taking initiative can all matter, but the…
Marriage & Desire
When Exhaustion Starts Looking Like Emotional Distance
At the end of a demanding day, one partner may want conversation while the other wants nobody to ask another question. From the outside, exhaustion can…
Marriage & Desire
I Like Her. I’m Exhausted by the Time Our Date Begins.
At twenty-four, Daniel was working in retail, presenting a weekly radio show, and taking a screenwriting class. Four months into a relationship, he…
Confessions & Secrets
We Agreed to an Encounter Together. He Had Been Messaging Her for a Month.
After three years of marriage, Emily and Jake discussed a sexual encounter with a female friend. They agreed to explore it together. That conversation…
Marriage & Desire
His Family Kept Calling Me His “Best Friend” Instead of His Wife
At first, I let it pass. Robert’s family called me his best friend, and I assumed it was an affectionate description of our marriage. Then I asked them…