I’m inspired not to throw out the rulebook, but keep it open and have a pen in hand. I hope it’s not vanilla to say that I still don’t find the idea of having sex with anyone apart from Chris particularly appealing.īut my mind’s been opened. I’m not coming out of this experience ready to join swinging sites (although Chris did win a year’s premium membership), find people I fancy, and start hooking up with randoms every weekend. They came out stronger, more in love, and sharing a life filled with fun and genuine joy.

They changed the rules, they tried something against all common advice, they did something scary and pushed through all the natural feelings of fear and jealousy and guilt. They didn’t decide that all the other bits of their relationship were pointless if monogamy wasn’t cutting it. When troubles arose and sex drives died down, they didn’t just chuck the relationship away. These are couples challenging any idea of throwaway culture. I’ve never met people who speak so honestly about love and its challenges. They talk about each other with the highest level of respect and admiration, but chat about the challenges of their relationship and their sex lives with a candour that shocks me. There are no chaste kisses or snarky comments to cover up genuine emotion. It might be my repressed British upbringing, but I’m entirely unused to seeing such open displays of longterm love.

Hedonism ii photos