There can only be one..

I was reading in the paper about open relationships and started wondering about love and monogamy. Yeah, right, I know.

It I think about romantic love, my thoughts immediately go to Married Friend #1 and her husband. I have never seen a couple like them. They are truly perfect. They fancy each other's pants off all the time, have fun together, can't be apart for more than 12 hours, and, yet, they have their own lives, friends, interests. I saw them a few months back and this vision plunged me into major self-questioning.
So, this is my dilemma today: is love 100% all-encompassing, can't-live-without-you, can't-fancy-anybody-else, or does it allow room for other feelings? To be brutal, is love incompatible with anything else but monogamy?

I know what Married Friend #1 would say, but I am also aware of how lucky she is for having found her soul mate.
Less clear would be Best Friend's response, although I cannot imagine her condoning Young Werther's affairs..
I also know what The Man's point of view (and how it evolved through time).

How do I view it?
I have never judged and never asked to be judged. And yet, I am torn.
Science tells us that we cannot be in love for a very long time (our brains are not designed to sustain the hormones for more than a couple of years), that we were not originally meant to live for 80-90 years (and therefore 50-60 years with the same person) and genetic diversity (ie, cheating) is good for the survival of the species.
However.. however, something inside me tells me that love does not allow for shortcuts. Love means daily joy and happiness, commitment and promises, complete trust and.. well jumping with your eyes closed, hoping that you are not going to get too hurt when you land.

Maybe, maybe, it is just a matter of time. And by that I mean that relationships have an expiry date. Some are packed with top-notch preservatives and last a lifetime. Some have a shelf-life of a couple of years. Maybe, we should stop saying 'forever' and just take it as it comes. I just don't know how easy it is to smell the rot. To stop scraping the mould off, ditch the whole thing and start fresh. Does that mean that we should not make plans, buy houses, have children? No, not if it feels right. If it feels right at that very moment. If, as a couple and an individual, you have no choice. And then again, jump and hope.

Enough. Pass the bucket.