Privacy is a luxury few can afford during university. Ironically, these are the years many of us are beginning to enjoy an active sex life. I live in a house with four other female roommates. After two years, we’re intimately familiar with one another’s habits . . . intimately. Here are some frank suggestions on how to balance sex and cohabitation.
Boundaries: Establish them in your house right away. Ask your roommates how they feel about strangers in the house overnight, or how many times your significant other can stay over before they start paying for rent and the Lucky Charms they eat every morning. Figure out how comfortable they are with talking about your sex life and you asking about theirs.
You want to figure out if your roommates prefer open discussion or privacy when it comes to each other’s sex lives before you ask if it was a spank or a gun shot you heard last night.
Noise: Noise during sex is inevitable. But be conscious that student homes usually have thin walls. Exaggerated moans might impress your partner, but it’ll probably make your roommates gag. Try to be respectful and keep the noise down when your roommates are around. Stuff a pillow in your mouth if you have to (trust me, you can make it hot), and wait until you have the house to yourself to really let loose.
Foreplay: There’s nothing better when you’re the one involved. But to walk in on your roommate and his girlfriend dry-humping on the couch? Not so pleasant. If you have the house to yourself, make out with your partner wherever you please. But when others are around, put a sock on your bedroom doorknob and keep the moaning to a minimum.
And if you end up home alone with your partner and have sex on the kitchen table, be a decent person and Lysol after.
