You've come back from a night out and you're all a bit typsy. Yourself and himself didn't get the shift and now you're acting like two horny teenagers. Maybe it's the first time you have lived in a house amongst the opposite sex where they weren't a sibling or relation of some kind. Nevertheless you now find yourselves getting getting quite handsy as you make a few sausage sandwhiches and lo and behold you wake up next to your dear old housemate. Now it's always going to be awkward at first but after a while you start to think that this little arrangement might be an advantage to both of you, but it's never going to be that simple is it?
Pros
1) No Walk of Shame
For any self respecting girl, this is surely an advantage, you can just slip away before anyone is up for a lecture and get into your own cozy bed before anyone has to know. Even if a housemate does catch you, you can just say you had to run into them to grab something quickly.
2) You have an idea if they're a slut or not
If you have lived with them for a while then you'll have a general idea of how many people they have gone home with. If they are a bit of a swinger then there's probably nothing to worry about feelings wise, however, make sure everything is wrapped up nicely before getting down and dirty. A one night stand may just be for one night but herpes will go right back downstairs with you.
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3) Can you keep a Secret?
Apart from fellow housemates, no one really has to know. Yes, most people like to share the fact that they got a little pootang last night, however if you both want to keep it no strings attached then keeping it under the radar is a necessity. The more people that know, the more of an issue it will be.
4) When can I leave?
You don't have to awkwardly fake a phone call to say your friend is in trouble so you have to go, you don't even have to make false promises about keeping in contact because you couldn't be in any closer contact if you tried.
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5) You Don't Have to Lie
If you have been living together for a while and if you are in the same circle of friends. You don't have to say things like; 'I don't normally do this.' They have seen what you look like in the morning, how you look when you're getting ready for a night out and they certainly already know what you look like after a night of heavy drinking.
Cons
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6) You CAN'T LIE
You live with them, they will more then likely have an idea of what your schedule is like. The whole, 'I'm really sorry, I have a compulsory tutorial I can't miss', isn't going to work. You're going to have to be somewhat honest with them, especially if they're in your bed...
7) Other Housemates
By having sexual relations in your house, you can make other housemates feel incredibly awkward. If it's just a once off thing, they probably won't care but if it turns into something where you turn more and more loved up every day, they are going to start feeling like they're living with a married couple. Always keep your housemates on side. They are the ones who can spill the beans on everything or pretend like they are completely oblivious.
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8) Feelings
Oh these crafty feelings we have all inherited. After a period of time if you haven't really talked about where both of you stand, the conversation is bound to crop up eventually. You need to have boundaries if a housemate/ no strings attached relationship is going to work. More times then not one of you will start to read further into your snuggle buddy arrangement, this is where the conflict will lie. Set a boundary, build it high.
9) Jealousy
If you decided to completely ignore my previous advice well then you deserve the grief that is about to fall upon you. Having a casual thing with a housemate can be great but what is going to differ from having a casual thing with someone else is that they will know if you get with another person, they'll know if you bring someone home or if you don't come home at all. Despite your best efforts you will feel like you're cheating even though you're single. Tensions will run high and you might lose the friendship/ housemate bond you started off with. You start to get the hassle of a relationship without the perks of being in a relationship. The sheer sight of them from across the sitting room makes you want to either jump them there and then or punch them repeatedly.
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10) Stuck in the Middle
If worse comes to worst and you end up trying to trying to forget that the other one exists for the remainder of your tenant lease, your other poor housemates are stuck in the middle. They've had to endure this little fling throughout the semester and now they're not to sure where they stand or how to act around you. They just wish everyone could get along like they did in middle school...
Are you going to take any of this on board? Absolutely not. Who could resist a drunken fumble and an awkward grunt the next morning as you quickly descend downstairs to your own little quarters.
