Dating?
So I have recently been talking with this girl. We met online and have been going on dates regularly and exclusively for two months.
She says that she does not want to rush into things because previous partners have only wanted to use her for her body so it will probably be a good while before we can have sex. And that's fine, genuinely I do not mind that. I have a very low libido anyway, so low that I've had previous partners get anxious and feel like they're not desired, so I don't mind taking it slow, but this girl is something else.
We had a great day together yesterday, and we both had a lot of fun. She made a comment at one point that the sun caught my face in just that special way and she was thinking about like I might really really like this person you know. But I'm just getting mixed signals. I ended up spending the night at her house and we tucked in around 1 AM. And she put a pillow between us so I wouldn't be able to cuddle her. I said I really like her and I enjoy her company and she said the same. I've been having a great time and she said the same. I said I'd like to kiss her if she was okay with it, and she said that it was way too early for kissing.
I am a very physical person. Sex is a take it or leave it thing for me, it's nice and fun sometimes but it's meh. But I absolutely need lots of physical touch and cuddles and kisses and reassurance. I've explained this to her a few times, and she says that she wants to give it but she doesn't feel safe opening up without being sure I'm "not going to just get bored and drop her" (her words) or I'm not just using her for her body. I feel like it's pretty obvious if I've stuck around for this long that that's not what I'm here for, but she refuses to let her guard down.
She says she likes me and I like her, but she is constantly on guard. The other day we went on a day trip out to the countryside and when driving home we ended up turning onto this dusty dirt road and she stopped talking and looked at me with distrust like "where are we going?" And asked to hold onto my knife for me. Or two weeks ago I made us both drinks and she made me taste hers before she would take it. Again, we've been exclusive for two months. This girl obviously has a lot of trauma, and I understand it and I want to be accommodating but I don't know how long she expects me to wait before I can hold her hand or kiss her.
I like her, I really do, and I'm doing the best I can but I'm touch starved and I'm frustrated at always starting from a hostile distrustful position anytime I try to do something nice. I just don't know what to do. I don't want to push her boundaries, I don't want to question her boundaries, but I've brought up that I need at least some sort of indication that she at least feels the same way I do physically and no progress has been made. Again, not sexually but just like holding my hand or letting me run her shoulders or something. I just don't know what to do at this point. I don't know how long I can keep going.
Posted Sep 28, 2025, 1:30 PM UTC