Steve, 26

How do I tell a potential hookup that I have bedbugs?
You probably shouldn’t bring anyone back to your place to begin with; it’s better to go to their place. My roommate didn’t tell a girl he hooked up with until she had bites. For that whole month, he hooked up with a girl on an air mattress and they still got bit.

What's the best place to have sex mid-bedbug infestation?
The bathroom, maybe? The air mattress in theory was a good idea, but that didn’t work out. You can’t be in the infected room at all.

What's the best course of bed-bug-preventing action after a hookup at a stranger's apartment?
Put some protective covers on your bed and hope for the best. And next time, check out their mattress first.

My girlfriend and I haven't had sex since her bedbug outbreak (resolved three weeks ago). I think all the stress just took a sexiness toll. How can we get back on track?
Surprise her with a nice date that ends with you staying at a nice hotel or bed and breakfast. Get her away from the scene of the crime.

I'm staying with my boyfriend while my apartment gets de-bugged. I'd actually love to live together permanently. How can I turn this situation into a relationship upgrade?
Moving in together is a hard topic to bring up, regardless of the situation. You could say, “It’s been great to spend time together like this. Could you see us living together?”

What if I move in and it doesn’t work out? Can we continue dating after I move into my own place?
No. The only way to take a step backwards and still make it work is to take a break and
revisit the relationship later.

Is it always a bad idea to get back with an ex?
No. It depends on why you broke up. If you broke up because you moved away to go to school — a situational breakup — or even if it was just an amicable breakup where things just weren’t working, maybe they will now. But it won’t work if there was incident. If cheating was involved, you’re not going to trust them. The person can be a saint now, and you’re always going to have that in the back of your head.

My best friend went through a really bad breakup a few months ago. She's spent the past three weeks communicating with a man online. They haven't even met up yet, but she's already way too into him. How can I tell her to calm down without sounding judgmental?
Just tell her that if she’s overexcited before a date, it’s going to be disappointing. This way you’re telling her not to get her hopes up, but in a way that’s looking out for her interests.

The woman I'm seeing is all about the handjob. I think handiwork is great for women, but I'm a dude, and I'm not in ninth grade anymore — and I told her so. She seemed kind of hurt. Am I an asshole for not letting her do her thing?
First off, I agree with you. But there’s a nicer way to go about it. When you’re just starting to date someone, you have to just kind of let it happen for awhile. As it continues, subtly explain that it’s not your thing.