Imagine a relationship where you can do all the things you would while single. As an individual you want to have your own space, but at the same time you may want to enjoy the company of someone to express yourself sexually with.

Friends with benefits are just what you think they are: intimate lovers who are also companions, and they can benefit you in ways that you would never get to experience in a regular relationship.

Instead, this is a relationship that celebrates the feelings two friends can have for each other, without the extra commitment that titles them as boyfriends or girlfriends.

Friends with benefits provide great opportunities to explore yourself sexually, mentally and spiritually.

Firstly, you don’t have to be in a serious relationship where you’re emotionally obligated to each other and secondly, you can continue being socially active within your own life.

Most importantly, there is nothing to fight about when you have an open relationship with your friend.

An honest relationship with a friend means there aren’t issues with trust, jealousy and time management, which can get in the way of the things that you really want. Of course, anyone in a serious commitment might not feel the same way.

However, this is an alternative route for those who do not want to feel like they have to take an oath to someone. Love for a friend comes from the qualities you have learned about them and the attraction that boils between you two can stir up chemistry that could lead to amazing sex.

An important factor in the concept is maintaining a tangible friendship outside of the sexual interconnection.

No one wants to deal with emotional hurt when having sex with a friend, if the sex is great and you two can talk about anything, then why would you want to have a relationship with anyone else?

This is where the complications can start with an FWB. There are possibilities of being hurt by your friend when one starts to feel something more for the other, but the pain isn’t as great as a break-up from a long-term relationship.

Your self-esteem rises as the sex between you and your friend escalates, but be sure to talk about boundaries you wouldn’t want to cross with each other.

If things start to grow within the relationship between you and your friend, the best way to approach it is complete acknowledgement of what the outcomes may be.

By communicating with one another when things start to change, you can prevent parting on bad-terms.

However, the ultimate reward of a trustworthy friend by your side to openly connect with is the satisfaction of pleasuring one another.

You’re not risking STDs or the chance of giving yourself to someone you are not comfortable with. Believe it or not, an open relationship grants the most gratifying of times that are just as cherishable as being in a closed commitment.