Intimate
An intimate relationship is a particularly close personal relationship, one in which the participants know or trust one another very well and are confidants of one another. In romantic love such closeness is characterized by physical attachment and sexual activity.
Love is the central focus in truly intimate relationships. Though love evades definition, thoughtful inquiry shows it to be qualitatively, not only quantitatively different than liking, and the difference is not merely in the presence or absence of sexual attraction. According to one analysis, love in relationships is divided into two types: passionate and companionate. Passionate love is intense longing, and is often accompanied by physiologic arousal, (shortness of breath, rapid heart rate & sexual impulses). Companionate love is affection and a feeling of intimacy not necessarily accompanied by physiologic arousal.
People that are intimate with one another often feel as if they are a 'couple', especially if they have ascribed some degree of permanency to their relationship. Such partnerships often provide the emotional security that is necessary for them to accomplish many forms of work.
