I'll keep this post short, as including too much would be, well, oversharing. The meaning of sex for our men is probably not a new concept to most RPW, but I thought I'd pair it with something I've learned.

It's no big secret: Us ladies talk about A LOT of stuff with our girlfriends. It's how we connect with each other. I've also always been that person where on a scale from 1 ("I know nothing about her") to 10 ("I know everything about her"), I'm totally comfortable with letting someone I'm not close with be at a 7.

My man is different in that he's more stoic and private, particularly regarding sex. Now I've become far more conscientious about keeping our sex life private since we started dating, even with my girlfriends, despite feeling the impulse to share it with them. I wasn't always like this (21yo me makes 26yo me cringe, looking back). I couldn't understand why he was naturally private about it and I wasn't, but it finally hit me this week why.

Sexual/physical intimacy is one of his primary ways of connecting with me, and it's a side of him that's radically different from what his friends, family and others get to see. I used to feel like a girl with an exciting secret, giddy and glowy when thinking about what we did together last night while I went about my life. But over time, as you move out of the honeymoon phase, you learn what the foundation of your relationship is really built on, as well as what you both consistently need in life.

I've realized that just like he needs to be desired and he needs to make me feel like a princess in the bedroom, he also needs it to stay between us, because it's not just sex for him/us. My man thrives on being consistent and loyal and excellent in the important areas of his life. Sexual intimacy is his steady expression of care and tenderness in a way that is unique to him, given uniquely to me. And this doesn't just apply to sex; he also thrives on a few routines for physical affection that we have, which I won't share here. When I look at it that way, him keeping our sex life private is a kind of protective instinct, and it's that much more important that I do the same.

Thanks for reading, hopefully it was helpful and not too rambling!

Edit: wow, the reception has been lovely! Thank you so much for the awards as well! :')