I know what you’re thinking.

Getting to the first touch, the first hug, the first kiss was traumatic enough; how exactly are you going to going to make it to bed, with your sanity still intact? Sure, this may not be your first frolic around the block, maybe you’re not a virgin (or maybe you are), but this is an important relationship and you want to take the next step at the right time. But how do you know it’s the right time?

Scenario one: You’re studying next to each other in the library. It’s quiet, he looks at you intensely. You delicately stretch your arm, and as it grazes against his elbow, the simple touch sends a jolt of electricity down your spine, hitting all the right places like a pinball in a machine. You’re slightly shaken, and it takes you more than a few minutes to concentrate once again.

Scenario two: Suddenly, simple monosyllabic words become instant euphemisms you never expected they could be. She may be brusquely reprimanding you about your casually discarded wet towels on the bathroom floor, but all you can focus on is the tone and inflection of the way she said ‘moist’ and ‘wet.’ Her anger and annoyance are more of an aphrodisiac; some part of you just wants more.

Scenario three: Much like losing a loved one and then seeing them everywhere, the reminder of wanting that one thing it feels like you can’t quite, shouldn’t quite, have is popping up everywhere. Forget looming skyscrapers and oblong fruits, things as common and basic as squeezing into your jeggings become a chore, in more ways than one.

Scenario four: What feels like cravings for chocolate-covered peanuts or steamed broccoli, or the obsessive urge to go for a run, or the sudden Red Bull binge you’ve so been longing, or even – let’s face it – the solo, night-long tug of war with your hand or your vibrator that you begin to realize may originate from a more insatiable need.

Here’s the deal: Don’t look for signs. If it feels right, you’ll know. Every part of your body will tell you, it will scream it at you. If it feels important, it probably is. If you want it, then take it. Enjoy yourself, but be safe. In other words, don’t be afraid to get carnal. Insert wink.