And for those about to say "You can have sex without being in a relationship!" this is true, but I'm also not the kind of person to usually have sex without there being a close attachment.
Wel, thats understandable. And thats also the diference betwen me and alot of ppl, actualy. I dont need any kind of emotional atachment to have sex vith someone. Maybe because I dont easyli attach emotionaly to anyone, in the first place. Emotional atachment leads to vulnerablity, and I dont like to apear vulnerable to anyone I dont trust 100%. Emotional vulnerality is weaknes ppl can easyli take advantage of. So, that makes very few ppl I realy trust, I can count them on the fingers of one hand, and I'd stil have fingers left.
So... If I had to have that component - emotional bond - in regards to intimate relationship, I'd be one of those ppl vho had sex once a week or less! I dont. All it takes for me to get charged-up for it, is plain, simple urge/lust. I see a guy/girl I'm physicly atracted to, he/she dont have to make alot of efort to get me in the sack for a nice good casual no-strings-atached fuck. That is if he/she makes a move first and starts to hit on me. If not, I'l make the first move my-self, makes no diference to me, as long as I get my "prey".
So for me, sex is purely a spontaneus function of lust, vhen it "clicks" betwen a potential partner and my-self (and if it can be ensured to be a safe-sex ofc, viht protection, and that my partner dont have a STD, but that gos w/o saying). But thats also the thing. Some ppl think of "having sex" and "making love" as the same thing. I dont. I make a very clear distinction betwen the two. I can have sex vith literally... anyone. Anyone I find appealing in that sense, and if I'm satisfyed its safe. Men, and women, dont matter, I'm bisexual. You spoked of "friends vith benefits". I have so many "friends" like that I'v lost count (I did say in that other thread about open relationships, that I had over 200 diferent sex-partners over the years - low estimate actualy). A dozen of them in my constant "inner circle" shal we say, of fuck-buddys. All good. But all that is just pure, base lust. Nothing more.
But.
Making love to someone... THAT is something entyreli diferent. To me, making love to a partner necesitates the emotional-bond component. To realy connect vith them on a mental, not just carnal level, during inter-course, to realy allow the expirience to evolve beyond a simple lust for flesh, to feel each others' souls during the bonding, for it to be sensual, deep, profound and fulfiling on a spiritual level. To achive that, I need to
trust my partner. And
love him, deeply. And my boyfriend is the only person whom I have connected to, that much. And it taken a long time, too. Like I sayed, I dont emotionaly connect easyli, or quickly. I'm afraid of hearbreak, and I'm afraid of being taken advantage of. It taken years, and alot of mutual efort, for me to be convinced he wuld never break my heart.
So... sexuality comes in those 2 shapes for me. The common, lust-based one, vhich I can have at any time, and vith anyone I *want* in that carnal manner. And the deep, meaningful, emotional one - vhich I can only have with the person I'm romanticly involved with, and trust implicitly. Those 2 shapes may look similar or inter-twined to most ppl, but to me, they are as separate and diferent as heaven and earth.
I dont know if this "duality" in a perception on sexuality even makes sense, but thats how I see it, and thats how I operate.