The Nature of Romance

Between Valentine’s Day and working on a Romantic Erotic story I’ve been thinking about the nature of Romance.

Romance with a capital ‘R’.

What is Romantic as opposed to Erotic? Where does one end and another begin? Is there any difference? For some of us I have a feeling there isn’t. Our eroticism is completely wrapped up in the cloth of Romance.

I don’t find any Romance in Valentine’s Day and I let that slip to someone who does. He is a delightful man who is, at heart, quite the romantic and who follows all the rules: flowers on the first date, cards on holidays, chocolate for celebrations and to ease a hurt. It is lovely to be on the receiving end of such thoughtfulness and my thoughtlessness hurt us both.

Sigh…

But Romance? What is it? Is it just being thoughtful or just having someone who takes the time to get to know you? Is it all the trappings or is it the warmth of love and the dance we do as we fall?

I’m not sure I know.

There are so many images that we have of Romance: kissing in the rain, a picnic in front of a fire, a walk on the beach. But they are also images of intimacy.

So Romance is linked to intimacy…

But for me that puts us back to the Erotic.

For me there is nothing as erotic as intimacy – of knowing your lover and your lover knowing you. There is always more to discover. We never know someone wholly but the continual unfolding as we discover more and more about each other.

That is bliss.

Apparently I cannot separate the three, Romance, Erotic, and Intimacy. They all blend together for me; one bleeding into the other with no dividing lines. I have tried for one without the others and it doesn’t work. It is all entwined.

I will need to think further on this, finding stories that are romance without the erotic or intimacy, intimacy without romance or the erotic, and the erotic without romance or intimacy.

Licks!