I have something close to what HappyCamer said they had. I'll try to be brief, but it is a long story.
I've been FWB with this person for over a year now. We are co-workers who became friends who would hang out a lot and go out and get drunk. I'd wind up back at his place in bed. For awhile it was just sleeping and the occasional wandering hand. Then, I was starting to develop feelings. The following weekend, I put myself purposely on his couch instead of his bed. He kissed me. The next morning, we talked and he explained that while obviously we shared a mutual attraction that he wasn't really ready for a relationship. I was disappointed, but ok. I wanted the maxim of whatever he was willing to give me. If that was just friends, I wanted that. We tried to be just friends, but we had no self control. Whenever we were alone, we ended up making out. We tried very hard to be just friends. It didn't work. We'd get to third base, but we never had sex for probably four months.
One night (some time later), we both got very drunk and some mutual friends helped us into his room and shut the door behind us. We had sex. He had already invited me to a get-together at his family cabin the next day, so we drove up there that next morning. We discussed that we liked what we were doing and that we would be friends with benefits. He laid down several rules - one of which was that he wouldn't be sleeping with anyone else. Which I always thought was kind of a strange rule for FWBs, but I can't really do more than one continuous partner at the same time anyway, so it was cool with me. Ever since, we have been on & off FWBs.
He's called it off several times - once claiming I was "too attached" which was ridiculous given that - truly - I gave him all the space in the world. Sometimes over a month without asking if we could have sex before he seemed to come around again.
About three months ago, something clicked and we have been ON since then in a good way. Somehow the complications of being close co-workers, close friends and sexual partners seemed to disappear and I don't know exactly what caused it, but it's wonderful.
Since then, we've been able to send sexy texts AND be professional to one another at work - whereas before it was only one or the other worked properly. There was no tension where there had been tension before. I started to go out with him and his friends a lot more again (where is had weaned off to almost never going out with them for a time) and we have sex more than we ever have before!
If I go home before the group on a night we are out, he'll text to see that I got home ok. He texts sometimes to just say random things, to ask how my day went, to tell me how his went. So, to me, it feels like more of a casual relationship than just friends with benefits. We are way to close as friends and people now. He doesn't give gifts on holidays or say lovey-dovey things to me, but it feels different than it used to. He's still paranoid about our co-workers knowing and typically he doesn't show affection in public, but our casual relationship status is common knowledge among his friends.
I went into this knowing that I could get hurt, and maybe I still will, but for right now, things are wonderful and I absolutely enjoy the comfortable, casual, communicative place we've reached. It's super fun.
Would I suggest being an FWB? Yes - but go into it preparing yourself for what is ahead and try to be ready for anything that comes your way.
