When I told him about my open relationship,
he fisted his fingers in his hair
and asked, “What does this mean?”

Two days later, I texted:
I’ve been thinking about your question.
I think it means you have options.

Him: Do tell.

Option 1:
We can trade professional advice.
Option 2:
We can steer whatever this is
into the friendzone and park it there.
Option 3:
We can try for a relationship.
This option would involve work:
questions, talking, rules.
But it would be my preference.

I vote 1 and 3.

Option 1 already comes included in both 2 and 3.
So we are agreed? Option 3?

Agreed.

* * *

In retrospect, I should have included Option 4:
We can flirt via sporadic messages,

Me: I’ll bring the high heels out in the future,
if you promise to be very bad.
Him: Luckily, I’m good at being bad.

and co-create imaginary scenes,

we swim together in deep water between forested bluffs
he surrenders his left forearm so I can study his tattoo
we crawl all over each other on the floor like tarantulas

– Elizabeth Galewski