The Heart Wants What it Wants

by Jenny Block

“The heart wants what it wants,” the saying goes. I can’t say I disagree. Last week I answered an email from someone who wanted to know if it was possible to open a marriage and dictate that no one fall in love. You can check out last week’s entry for the answer. I’ll give you a hint – it depends…

But I promised then that I would complete my answer by explaining more about how the concept of polyamory works for me. You see, when we first opened our marriage, I certainly imagined that it was possible for us to refrain from falling in love with someone else. That wasn’t the point as far as we were concerned.

Instead, it was about seeking sex and companionship that would complement the love we had within my marriage. I figured, like I think most people do, that I didn’t need to love anyone else romantically and, in fact, that I couldn’t.

Nothing could have turned out to be further from the truth.

When I met Jemma (my girlfriend of more than a year and a half now), we became fast friends. But it wasn’t long before our friendship intensified and turned into something all together different. It began with our sleeping together. But it soon became, well, love. And not just the kind between best friends. It was something more romantic than what one generally has with a friend. That is, I didn’t just love her. I was (and am) in love with her.