I rejected a woman, and now my friends think I'm stupid.

Hi, I'm 28M, and I have a good group of friends. We've all been friends for a long time most since school. My best friend is 30M, and his older sister is 34F. She added a friend to our group, a 29F, about two years ago. She's really funny, and I like her a lot. She's very kind, just a very nice person. So, a few days ago, she asked me out on a date. I politely rejected her, just saying I'm not looking for a relationship right now. She smiled and said okay. We spoke a bit after that, but since then, we've hardly spoken.

My friends are calling me stupid and dumb. I'm like, I just don't want to date. It wouldn't bring anything to my life. Dating wouldn't benefit me. I've never dated before, and I'm happy as I am. The thought of dating doesn't excite me. I would rather be friends with women. My friends have tried setting me up on blind dates, but I never showed up to any of them. I sometimes think, because I'm a man, they think I can't be okay and live alone. I'm talking about my male friends, by the way, in my friend group who think that. Me, the woman I rejected, and two other people are single; there are 13 of us in total.

I know they think I'm stupid because of this, but this is how I like living. I like having peace and a bit of solitude and alone time, and plenty of holidays, lol. But when we all hang out, I love it, and I love spending time with my family. I know my friends think they're looking out for me, but it's just frustrating because they don't believe I'm happy. I wish my friends the best. What should I do? Any advice on how I can get through to them?"