Wondering what to call a ‘pre-exclusive relationship’? It’s complicated.
Dating site HowAboutWe.com tells us there are nine ways to describe “pre-exclusive relationships.” Is this really the way the world is going—relationships that can only be described as textable acronyms? No wonder when we break up with someone we say, “It’s complicated.” We didn’t even know how to describe what we were doing.
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1. OGBC (Ongoing Booty Call)
Sex and sex only. Whenever you’re both down. For as long as you can remain essentially strangers. You’ve probably never seen your OGBC before midnight.
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2. FWB (Friends With Benefits)
The most infamous of all PXRs, the FWB relationship is rarely ever as uncomplicated as either party pretends it is. The promise of a “no-strings-attached” deal with a person who you actually enjoy hanging out with is just too sweet, though. So, we keep acting like we’re emotionally invincible until we ruin a perfectly good friendship.
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3. TLKNG (Talking)
“No we’re not dating. We’re just talking.” You like each other and you both know it, but neither one of you has acted on it yet. (Having hooked up once or twice doesn’t necessarily count as “acting on it.”)
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4. LVRS (Lovers)
“Lovers,” is sort of an outdated, cheesy word that most people have only ever heard on “Murder She Wrote” (“What was your relationship to the deceased?” “We … we were lovers”). But there’s no other word that quite captures this particular relationship. LVRS are not committed to each other, but they have deep feelings for each other. For whatever reason, however, it can never be.
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5. DTNG (Dating)
There’s some controversy about the difference between “seeing each other” and “dating,” and we won’t be able to please everyone here. Dating, to me, means “going out on dates.” You can be going out on dates with multiple people at one time, and there’s nothing questionable about that.
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6. SEO (Seeing Each Other)
“Seeing each other,” means that you are involved with someone. You’re not necessarily exclusive, but you’re interested in the possibility. Think of it as seeing about someone.
If you’re “seeing someone” you can still be “dating” others. But “seeing” two people at once? That requires a conversation, at the very least.
Next: “XWSEX”
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This has got to be the dumbest shit ever. I mean is this really where we are these days?