What Comes After "Boyfriend" If You're Not Planning Marriage

IS THERE A WORD THAT REALLY WORKS?

Am I the only one who thinks it's a little awkward to call my boyfriend who is now a Grandpa, my "Boyfriend?" Doesn't that sound funny? Something about boyfriend and girlfriend sounds like a Teen word; A word that is about a new relationship that is supposed to turn into something more. Typically we have it all planned out in our culture. You go from boyfriend and girlfriend, to fiance, to wife or husband. What if you don't want that? What if you've already been down that road? What if you are committed to the person you're with but don't want to go through all of that again?

THE WORDS THAT DON'T REALLY SOUND GOOD ENOUGH

There is no word that I can find. The words I found include:

Partner (no).
Sweetheart (no).
Beau (ridiculous).
My Man (seriously?)
Lover? (That's pretty intimate, don't you think?)
Mate? (Not quite serious enough).
Other Half? (We live independently..Come on!)
Companion?
Better Half?
Fair Maiden

You have to agree; Nothing in this list is a realistic word for people who have been in a relationship over two years, and don't plan on getting married.

THERE IS NO GOOD WORD

So really....there is no GOOD word. We need a word that is REAL. A word that describes the situation truthfully. Two independent people; living in a REAL world; Independent of each other, but enjoys spending time together. Still able to breath when the other person isn't present; but someone you can trust completely and talk to about anything.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

So...does their HAVE to be a wedding in the future for it to be a committed relationship? Is that why there is no word? If you don't have a plan to make it official, it's not? Well...I guess that is a good point.

PETE & I HAVE MADE UP OUR OWN WORD

Since my Co Host Pete Hanson and I are both in the same type of relationship; That is, we've both been married, (and divorced), but we are both in a committed relationship, with NO plans on getting married. We came up with our OWN word. It's called, our None-Say. Not our Fiance, but our None Fiance, committed without the ceremony. It works. So next time you ask me, I'm going to refer to Randy as, " My None-say; Randy.