Pondering the “What If” Relationship

About 10 years ago I had a short-lived, whirlwind romance with a man who was taking a long break from a complicated relationship with another woman. Once things got emotionally intimate with me, he bolted back to her and they eventually married. I was devastated. Despite my initial grief, we remain a presence in each other’s lives. Although we have transitioned to being only friends, there has always been a flirtatious quality to our interactions. I refer to him as The Question Mark because I have always had the “what if” question haunting me about him. What if he had been more available when we first started dating? What if our career paths were not so different? What would happen if we lived in the same city today, now that we are both single again?

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Under the Table and Dreaming (of You)

Have you ever been in a relationship that you hid from others? If you answered “YES”, you’re not alone; 62% of S of R readers responding to our recent poll have done the same. There are lots of reasons to keep a relationship under the figurative (and literal, as we’ll see later) table. Maybe you’re dating your boss, seeing someone significantly older or younger than you, got back together with your ex (that your friends all hated), or are having an affair with someone who is currently married and you need to be discreet about your tryst. Sounds pretty hot, right?

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