5 Rules of Casual Sex Everyone Should Follow

Some crushes have a short expiration date and never turn into a devoted relationship, but that doesn’t mean they can’t absolutely blow your mind. He’s adorable but leads the kind of lifestyle that you wouldn’t fit into or she’s a knockout but isn’t looking for anything serious? Enter a casual sexual relationship.

Casual relationships are fantastic if you play the game by the rules. On the one hand, you’d think that a relationship like this has zero restrictions to keep it fun and wild, but in reality, there are a few things you and your partner should talk about first. Where would you meet? Would you want your mutual friends to know? What if you meet someone else? Below, we discuss the top 5 fuckbook rules you should follow in case your casual hookup turns into a sexual relationship.

#1: Do It with the Right Person

Not everyone has the mindset to sleep with someone without those little buggers like emotions or expectations getting in the way. If you want a sexual relationship with someone with no strings attached, you need to find the right person for it. This isn’t the same kind of Mr. or Mrs. Right you’d need for a romantic relationship, but they should still meet some criteria. For instance, avoid hooking up with someone you’re close with or with a co-worker because casual relationships end 99 percent of the time, and things could get really awkward afterwards. You should hook up with someone you’ve met recently or with an acquaintance you’ve always kind of had a crush on. A sexual relationship isn’t something you want close to home, and it should be with someone who isn’t important in your life so you can explore things way outside your comfort zone.

#2: Set Some Basic Rules

Don’t worry about any rules killing the thrill of your relationship. It’s far better to know what you can expect than to be surprised in all the wrong ways when you least expect it. The first thing you need to talk about is whether the two of you would see other people. Also, discuss what happens when one of you falls in love with someone else. Make sure you both understand how often you’ll see each other and whether it would be OK to spend the night. Last but not least, figure out whether you want to keep your relationship a secret or if it’s acceptable that some people know that the two of you are involved.

#3: Use Protection

As exciting as casual hookups are, you shouldn’t let yourself get carried away and forget all about using protection. Staying safe is paramount, and if you’re not sure which birth control method is right for you, talk to your doctor and your partner to make sure you’re both protected from STDs and unwanted pregnancy. Never skip protection even if you’ve agreed to be exclusive, and don’t buy into any excuses or pressure of ‘nothing will happen from just this one time’.

#4: Check Your Emotions at the Door

Sexual relationships almost never turn into long-lasting romantic love, which is why you need to leave your emotions out of them. In an ideal scenario, the two of you get together every once in a while to have great sex and go your separate ways until you meet up again. Don’t share things from your private life, and don’t fall into the texting trap and spend a lot of time actually talking to that person. If you see that you’re starting to have feelings for him or her, don’t go for the grand gesture where you reveal your undying love, but instead openly discuss what is happening. You can either tweak your arrangement and take the relationship to the next level or end it immediately before your feelings get seriously hurt.

#5: Don’t Feel Trapped

A casual relationship is much more casual than it is an obligation you have towards your partner. Although you should avoid talking about private matters, you should absolutely speak your mind when it comes to adjusting your schedules to meet or getting booty calls in the middle of the night when you have a big meeting in the morning. You shouldn’t bend over backwards to make a sexual relationship work, and you shouldn’t expect the other person to be at your constant beck and call. If you want to end things, do so without feeling guilty or trapped – you can leave the relationship just as effortlessly as you entered it. If the other person is trying to make it difficult for you to leave,it might be because they’ve developed feelings for you which they forgot to mention – all the more reason for you to get your stuff and get out of there.