After three years of marriage, Emily and Jake discussed a sexual encounter with a female friend. They agreed to explore it together. That conversation…
Relationships & 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…
Relationships & Desire
Compliments That Show You Have Been Paying Attention
Being told you look attractive can be lovely. Being noticed for how you think, act, or make another person’s day can add something different: the…
Playful Escapades
“I’m Actually 50. The App Won’t Let Me Change It.”
The profile says thirty-nine. The biography says fifty. The explanation blames the app, which has apparently become the world’s most determined…
Relationships & Desire
First Love, Later Reunions, and the Future We Never Agreed On
We first knew each other years before the events that keep bringing us back together. By 2014, our lives had taken different directions. In 2018, as…
Bedroom Talk
Unwanted Attention Is Not a Failure of Confidence
Repeated unwanted attention can leave someone wondering what she is doing to invite it. The responsibility belongs with the person who ignores a limit…
After Dark
Considering Webcam Modeling? Look at the Work Behind the Camera
Webcam modeling is adult performance work. For some adults, choosing their presentation and developing an audience can be satisfying. For others, the…
Relationships & Desire
Trust Your Discomfort Without Treating It as Proof
If an online date makes you uncomfortable, you can pause or leave. You do not need to establish wrongdoing before deciding that you do not want another…
Confessions & Secrets
Private Photos on Holiday: What the Discovery Did—and Did Not—Show
A couple has been exclusive for more than a year. On holiday, he opens the bathroom door and finds her taking intimate photographs of herself. He is…
Relationships & Desire
I Cared About Her. I Wasn’t Sure We Should Attend the Wedding Together.
After becoming single, David grew close to his neighbor, Claire. Walks became dinners, and the relationship became intimate. They enjoyed parts of the…
Relationships & Desire
Does Height Matter in Dating? It Depends Who Is Dating.
Some people have a strong height preference. Others barely think about it until a profile asks. Attraction is personal, but the way a preference is…
Playful Escapades
My Girlfriend Was Getting Attention. I Was Providing Commentary.
My girlfriend, Megan, is striking. I knew this when I asked her out. Somehow, I was still surprised to discover that other people had functioning eyesight.