Friendships and Sex
Anonymous Robin
2019
I've known Penny and Jack since college. Actually, Penny and I were friends from the beginning of college whereas Jack showed up midway through senior year.
Penny was one of the critically honest and important friends. She was roommates with my first girlfriend during the formative transition from parents to independence. Having not dated much in high school, college dating was a steep learning curve. I fell hard in love and Penny kept me grounded and balanced. At least as well as any friend can. And she was there for the recovery after the inevitable breakup. She was also there for all of the subsequent breakups that predictably followed.
Jack eventually became just as important. It wasn't that either of them was any more experienced or wiser than the rest of us. But they just had a way of trying and learning from new experiences. They were just pure souls with humble self awareness.
After my recent breakup from Kim they were once again present and comforting. Kim and I were great; as were all of my relationships. Truthfully, I am a great boyfriend. I am attentive, present, and sincere. And generally a giving lover. Penny's analysis is that I am not doing anything wrong. Her theory is I just choose the wrong mates.
Her feedback stung a little more this time as she elaborated on the idea that I don't know myself. The premise was that my lack of self awareness won't sustain an evolving and changing relationship. "Dude," she quipped over breakfast. "You pick great girls. Like really, they are super. But I am not sure you ever ask yourself if they are who you really want to be with."
"But they are amazing. All of them. Kim, Jill, Kimberly before Jill... Most of our friends are always impressed with everyone I date." I replied.
"Yah, sure," Penny challenged. "But don't they all seem too similar? You could exchange any of them and start back at the exact same point."
I wasn't exactly sure her point. "That just shows you I know what I like." I was a bit defiant and wanted Penny to agree this was a strength.
"Maybe what I am saying is you know what others' find impressive. But what do you personally desire?"
I've always been proud of who I could sleep with. Most guys were in awe of my girlfriends. "I like who I date. What's so wrong with being selective? All that is lacking is a friendship like you and I have. That's what is missing."
"Really?, you think you are looking for our friendship? You've never seemed close to any of your girlfriends. They just seem so physical. Almost trophy like."
I must have looked puzzled as Jack arrived home from a run to hear where this conversation turned. "Another recovery. This sounds fun. Hey, I've got a question about friendship. Have you ever slept with any of your actual friends?"
Where the hell is Jack going with this? "I want to be friends with my girlfriends. It just doesn't progress that way. We always break up before it gets that comfortable."
"Then don't try to make girlfriends into friends. Why not allow friends to become girlfriends." Jack seemed to swoop into this conversation a bit late. "And on that topic, why didn't you and Penny ever hook up?"
"Yeah, why is that? Never even a drunken makeout between us?" Penny chided.
"Please, you and Jack were always together"
"Bullshit, you and Penny were friends years before I showed up. And you know that all through college we were never exclusive. Penny dated lots of guys even after I entered your scene." Jack started cooking breakfast by this point. Was Jack right? Penny and I were alone a lot. We traveled, went to parties, and flirted a fair amount. I never wanted to mess that up. Then when Jack started hanging out with us I was always the supportive friend.
Penny grabbed this concept, "Seriously, would you consider any of your girlfriends actually friends? Have you ever hit on any female friends?" I couldn't answer. I probably had a dumbfounded face while I scanned through history. "Shit man, there were times I was so obviously inviting you to make a move. And so many of our friends wanted you. And what did you constantly do? Brought some outsider beauty to our events only to absorb your attention."
Jack and Penny kept chiding me while touching each other. I think they were getting turned on talking about guys she dated in college. I couldn't even defend myself while they were having fun. My mental energy was scanning our past history. There was no lack of attraction towards Penny. I was constantly trying to get glances of her. We were together changing clothes, late night drunken games, even a skinny dip or two in groups. But damn it, she was right. I never expressed any interest in hooking up. I would hit on nearly anything pretty back then, but never Penny or anyone in our close circle; why?
Without any deep response from me the conversation shifted to other topics. We drank coffee for a while, talked about work. I left later but reflected on these thoughts most of the night.
The frustration of not having an answer continued for several days. Were they right that I never slept with anyone I considered a friend? Wasn't it wrong to sleep with friends? Where did that view come from? Was that related to me not becoming friends with girls I did date?
The thing about self awareness is it can turn positive or can go poorly. In this case it turned towards a life changing pleasure experience. Our next interaction as a group veered off the default path, like way off the beaten path.