You’d been hooking up with Lucas for a while now, ever since you met freshman year of college. The moment you saw him on the field kicking around the ball, you couldn’t get enough of him. He asked you to come over, and you did. He asked you to do something for him, and you did. This man was your lifeline. He always said he cared, but never said “I love you,” and he wasn’t about to commit. Obviously. But you couldn’t bring yourself to walk away.

Now, you were lying in bed next to him after one of your more intense moments, both of you breathless, skin slick with sweat, the smell of sex hanging in the air.

“Just to be clear…” he panted, trying to catch his breath. “We’re friends.”