Sex with your roommate: no longer a terrible idea?

By Virginia K. Smith | December 17, 2014 - 12:59PM

General wisdom has it that the number one way to maintain a functional relationship with your roommate is to never, ever have sex with them. But rules were made to be broken. At least according to a first-person essay over at Brokelyn by a woman who's sleeping with her hot DJ roommie in Bushwick—as you do—and couldn't be happier with the arrangement.

The writer moved in with four people she found on Craigslist after a rough divorce, and while two of the dudes rarely hung out in the apartment, the DJ stuck around. "'Hey,' he’d say, as he glided by suavely from the shower and into his room." Clearly, these two were meant to be.

After a year or so, the two finally slept together, and minus one unfortunate incident—in which he brought home another woman for loud sex less than 48 hours after their first hookup—it still seems to be going well. "It’s been five months post-first coitus and besides that one horrific obstacle, it’s been the best use of my down time and a really great way to let off some steam after a long day," she writes. "Not to mention, when you have a roommate that looks like him, and you have full reign to touch him whenever you like, it makes those increasing rent checks a little more tolerable."

Hard to argue with that last point. As with most things in life, the key to success here is setting boundaries and managing expectations. In this case, the pair agreed that while the relationship would be casual and not exclusive, neither party would bring other dates home to their thin-walled loft, which seems wise. But on the off-chance that rule gets broken, may we suggest some noise-canceling earplugs?

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