A person who texts, flirts or even dates a person in a
relationship. The cushion provides backup options for commitment-wary individuals, in case their
relationship ends. Cushions also offer affirmation, an ego stroke and attention without reciprocal commitment. The cushion may have intimate conversations with their counterparts that's missing from their current relationship, thus enabling
emotional cheating.
Cushions may have poor boundaries or low self-esteem, as they sacrifice their own needs for a potential relationship that will never materialize. They may feel special, only to realize that they are just one if many cushions in the situation.
See also: Cushioning