Who's Your Love Back-Up?

We’ve all heard it; we’ve all said it, “Something’s come up, can we meet another time?” Whether it’s your boss rescheduling a meeting, a friend canceling for coffee or a “significant other” with a significant time crunch-we send the message to the universe, “You need a back-up”. And for the most part, we’re more than happy to reschedule and find alternative plans.

But are we more than willing to apply that frame of mind in our love lives? Should we have a love back-up and better yet; would you ever consider being someone else’s?

On a recent road trip with a friend, we pried open that Pandora’s Box of relationship-talk and discovered we shared similar relationship dysfunctions as we both tend to fall for men who are “just not that into us”.

She, being a single straight female, could spot the signs of her particular Romeo not coming to her balcony anytime soon to woo her with lyrical sonnets and motivate her into a romantic suicide pact, but still she keeps the love light on just in case he’s roaming around in the bushes without his lover’s GPS. And in the meantime, a secret crush on a friend maintains her sanity as she remains single in the city.

Me, a single gay male, can see the signs of my Prince Charming galloping away from me in order to ride into the sunset with someone else, yet hang on to the idea that maybe, just maybe he”ll open his soft brown eyes to the realization that it’s okay to have someone love you and you deserve such love. And with each hour that passes and I’ve yet to receive an e-mail, txt or even a tweet, my Blackberry is never too far away from my heart’s reach “just in case,” because when he does call, it’s hot sex with a dose of passion. But if he doesn’t call, there’s always Ivan, my hot and young Latin back-up; he may not know English, but thank God the skill of rolling his R’s is put to good use.

Have we finally evolved to the point where rescheduling is acceptable, even in our love lives because a back-up is always available? Or have we completely lost the idea of commitment? And if you discover you’re a love back-up, do you sneak out the backdoor and balk at the fact or do you simply “let it be” as you txt your own back-up and reschedule?

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