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- I had a fling with a neighbor. It was awkward when it ended, so I decided to move. (businessinsider.com)
A Fling with My Neighbor Taught Me a Valuable Lesson
Moving 900 miles from home for university is a big adjustment. I was heartbroken from a recent breakup and busy navigating a new state, school, and apartment when I met my next-door neighbor. He was quiet and average-looking – not my type, I thought.
Over a few months, we became friends. We watched movies, studied together, shared pizzas and beers.
We discovered we had a lot in common. We were both out-of-state students at the same university, interested in politics, and united in our complaints about our shared landlord and the Arizona heat.
Soon, friendship blossomed into a casual, friends-with-benefits arrangement. Newly single, lonely, and overwhelmed with work and school, a no-strings-attached fling with the guy next door seemed like the perfect solution. It felt very adult, practical, and commitment-free – a welcome relief after my intense previous relationship.
However, being my first friends-with-benefits experience, I hadn’t considered what would happen if things didn’t work out. While fun at first, the lack of real chemistry became apparent.
Convenience can only carry a relationship so far. My initial impression was right – we weren’t each other’s type.
The fling fizzled as quickly as it began. We stopped hanging out and started mutually ghosting each other, leading to awkward encounters in the laundry room or while getting mail.
The awkwardness prompted me to move when my lease ended a few months later. Sharing thin walls with my former fling, while neither of us were seeing other people, felt too close for comfort. I found a bigger, better apartment a few blocks away, making the decision easy.
Looking back, I can laugh at my younger self. A simple conversation would have avoided the awkwardness. I’ve since learned not to complicate things, especially when other options exist beyond my doorstep.
But I don’t regret the experience. We had fun, and I learned a valuable lesson without any real consequences. I trust that my younger self did the best she could, even if impulsivity and instant gratification won out in the end.
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- I had a fling with a neighbor. It was awkward when it ended, so I decided to move. (businessinsider.com)