First, The White-Knight Relationship.

In this relationship one party trades what they need (such as financial support) for what the other party wants; a commitment. In this scenario our Jane is in serious trouble. She cannot pay any of her utility bills and is about to lose power. (Pun intended? Perhaps…) Jane tells her co-worker and good friend Dick all about her financial woes. Dick really likes Jane, (and he sees this as an opportunity to show her he could be more than just a friend), so Dick offers to pay her bill for her; and insists she can pay him back when she gets on her feet. Later that afternoon when they are leaving work Dick asks Jane out to dinner. Jane accepts. “It’s a date!” Dick says. A date wasn’t what Jane was thinking, but no harm in that, right? Jane goes on said date, drinks more that her share of the wine Dick purchases and when Dick kisses her goodnight that evening she kisses him back. The next night Dick offers dinner again, and Jane accepts again. Dick is so nice and so generous; and okay, it’s true that she isn’t attracted to him, but that can grow, right? A month goes by, and now Dick is introducing Jane as his girlfriend, she is about to meet the parents and he is talking about taking it to the next “level”. Jane can no longer deny it; she has slipped into the girlfriend role. Accidental relationship type number one: savior becomes suitor. Escaping would mean breaking her good friend and rescuers heart; (and she really can’t pay him back right now anyway). Easier to let this relationship happen, perhaps he will love enough for the both of them.

Next we have The Date-Night Relationship.

This is a relationship of pure convenience on one side, and (sadly) true romantic feelings on the other. In this setting, Dick is seeing a couple girls, but nothing serious. Girls that he calls when he wants to see the new romantic comedy that he wouldn’t dare tell his guy friends he wants to see or if he needs a plus one for his cousin’s wedding. He calls on Jane for these occasions more and more; they have similar tastes in movies, and she really gets along with his family and friends, and of course the sex is good too. Jane is a great female friend…plus. But Jane is starting to be increasingly affectionate. She is calling him quite often between dates. Then one night she comes over and offers to cook instead of ordering the usual take-out. She’s brought a movie; it’s (uh oh) a romantic one. She snuggles up to him on the couch, where they end up falling asleep. In the morning Dick opens his eyes to see Jane staring at him with a strange smile upon her face. “I love you,” Jane murmurs. “I love you too,” Dick mumbles back without thinking. Voila! Dick has trapped himself in accidental relationship number two. He begrudgingly accepts this unintended commitment rather than dealing with the mess of breaking Jane’s heart. What started out as a pseudo relationship has become an actual one. Dick will put off breaking Jane’s heart…for now.

This brings us to number three, The Bad-Habit Relationship (AKA The Crutch).

The fear of being alone is strong in some people. They learn to use others to insulate themselves…from themselves. In this situation, Jane and Dick meet at the book store. Jane has just ended a relationship and isn’t quite over it yet and Dick isn’t in a relationship because he just doesn’t really have time for (or want to make time for) one. They both know that neither of them is in the proper place in their lives for a commitment to another person. Yet they find themselves very attracted to each other in an oddly comfortable, broken in sneaker kind of way. Very quickly they start to spend all their spare time together. It’s never very exciting or romantic. Most of the time Dick is ignoring Jane while he works or studies while Jane sits on the couch watching TV and talking about her ex-boyfriend. They aren’t in a relationship because they like each other, they just like the idea of another person in the room to hear them breathing. This is ugliest of accidental relationships, and it can be the most dangerous because you are bonded together by mutual fear. Dick and Jane stay in the unhealthy bad-habit relationships for a long period of time, unhappy and miserable but afraid to make a change.

Relationships are supposed to be about love and trust and mutual caring. They are not supposed to be about convenience or fear of being alone in a movie theater, or worse, in your own home. These accidental relationships are not just a waste of your time but they can be damaging, especially if the other party is not aware that you are in it for the wrong reason and is under the impression you are as invested in the relationship as they are. And besides, we are not here indefinitely. Staying with Mr. or Ms. Right Now will in fact keep you from meeting people that might actually be a better fit. So if you find yourself in an accidental relationship, be it the “white-knight,” the “date-night” the “bad-habit;” (or any other in a long list of dire intimate dealings) do yourself and your contingency partner a favor and get off at the next exit.

Otherwise you might just crash into something a lot more dangerous, like an accidental baby… with that accidental partner…which could become an accidental marriage… and, well, you get my point.

And now, men and women, discussion time. Have you ever found yourself in an accidental relationship? How did it turn out? Perhaps you are in one now and need some help…? Don’t be shy, we don’t judge…much.