Casual sex doesn’t have to lead to you feeling weird after.
TI:
It’s a tale as old as time: your night of bar-hopping and frivolity has ended in you waking up next to someone that you may or may not be super familiar with. You’ve just had a casual hook-up (see also: “one night stand”) … and now you must navigate the questionable territory of what to do next.
Whether you are in a foreign bed or there’s someone new in yours, chances are you are probably wanting to part ways with your newfound “friend” so you can gather yourself after the previous night’s shenanigans. Do your best to be friendly yet firm when you’re telling them to leave. Get out of bed and say you really must be going, whether it be studies that are calling you away or breakfast plans with a friend, make it clear that the time has come to part.
Even if your day is free of plans and you want to be free of a lingering lover, a simple white lie about an immediate obligation can get that rando out of your house. Make up a phony 8 a.m., class. A doctor’s appointment. A work meeting. The options are endless.
Finally, regardless of whether or not you plan on seeing your hook-up again, do your best to leave things on a light and friendly note. Saying goodbye with a smile and making a little small talk on the way out can keep things from being awkward. Then, when the inevitable happens and you see them on the street, you might not feel the need to hide behind your friend and avoid eye contact at all costs.
Tanner Ingle is a junior studying studio art and environmental and plant biology. How do you make the morning after hooking up with someone less awkward? Email him at ti905612@ohio.edu.
AP:
Hooking up is awkward, let's just face it. With a little bit of liquid courage in your system, it's a little less weird, but the morning after, once you've sobered up and realized the person laying next to you has seen you naked, things can get a little ... uncomfortable.
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My best advice is to act as normal as possible, though I know that can be pretty hard. Act normal, and definitely don't linger unless the person wants you to stay around and you want to as well. It's important to keep in mind that they feel uncomfortable as well; they're self conscious about morning breath and their bed head, too.
If this was a one night stand, they've most likely done it before, so just remember that it's casual.
It's also comforting to think about the fact that this is college. A very large percentage of people you pass on your way to class, in the halls of your dorm, even the person you're sitting next to in Alden, have most likely been in the same position.
Don't make it a big deal. You got laid which is awesome, and the best part about it is there's no strings attached and, the next morning, you can head on home and get on with your day.
Abbey Peyton is a senior studying broadcast journalism. What hook up tips do you have for the morning after? Email her at ap384611@ohio.edu.
