Setting a deadline
It has been three months since my ex reached out to me. We've been talking every day since. After some confusion, fun, and clarity, we went on a two-week trip. It was a fun trip without any negative feelings or events. More importantly, I learned what I needed to learn.
While we are very comfortable with each other, and the familiarity felt good for us both, she can be intimate without feelings, and I can't. I learned that she genuinely wants to be friends with me and is ok with stopping being intimate with each other. I can't maintain staying in that kind of arrangement as I want more than just that. So, I have decided to end our fun, but then remembered that we will see a show at the end of the month. I told her about my thoughts on ending our thing after the show. We agreed to set a deadline for the decision when we check out of the hotel on the day after the show.
It was fun. While this reconciliation allowed more comfort and open communication, it still did not go where I wanted it to go.
I think three months is a good amount of time to check and navigate and learn about everything about this. Hopefully, I will feel strong enough at the end of the month to make a firm decision to step away.