Despite all the time we spent together, we never had The Talk. Our relationship had no real definition - I knew she had broken up with her long-term boyfriend right before we'd met. For a guy, it was the perfect arrangement - she was hot, the sex was great and there was no commitment.

Plus, there were some seriously unexpected perks.

Even though I constantly offered to pay when we went out, she would always pick up the tab, even if we were at a high-end restaurant. She would always send me home after a date even though we lived on opposite ends of the island. She even gave me a smartphone worth over $800 to replace my ratty old model when she picked up a new one for herself. She had no qualms about doing things usually expected of the man in a relationship - paying the bills, driving us around and constantly having me over at her house.

Three months into the relationship, things got even more serious. This was in the last few weeks before I left for Europe. We would do "couple" things - cancel on our friends to hang out, or she'd skip visiting her parents on weekends so we could meet. Yet, on some level, both of us knew the end was near. I was going away and the age difference meant that we were never going to be a serious item. I think the whole situation worked only on the premise of a definite cut-off point.

We eventually decided that things needed to end and met up to awkwardly say our goodbyes.

But the night before my flight, Jessica asked to see me. When I met her, she passed me an envelope, asking me to open it only when she had left. She told me to have fun in Europe.

In the envelope was a huge wad of cash - $800, to be exact. I called her up, asking what the money was for. She said she knew she wasn't going to see me again, but just wanted me to be safe in Europe. She told me to keep the money in case of an emergency, as I was travelling on a shoestring budget. Although I was angry that she'd given me such an unnecessary and extravagant present, I was touched by her concern.

I never used the money and I transferred it back to her after my trip. I've never seen her again.

Looking back, she was an amazing person. Besides being successful and confident, she was also warm, kind and sincere. It was interesting to be in a relationship where the woman looked after you for a change - a role that's come to be expected of guys. And even though things were mostly physical, I learnt a lot from her self-assured way of life.