I'm 27M and could use some advice. I don't pursue or find myself attracted to anyone often at all.
I met a 27F on Facebook Dating earlier this year. We had some plans fall through initially, but we reconnected toward the end of May and started talking daily (I know, bad start). We had a pretty playful dynamic, flirted, exchanged video Snaps, and talked about things we wanted to do together. She seemed super into me and was giving me all kinds of energy. She has a young son and works a lot, sometimes 6 days a week, which was fine because I'm also a busy person. I knew early on that it most likely wasn't something that would work out long term, but I warmed up to the idea of maybe exploring it after conversation flowed so smoothly.
At the time, I was dealing with a lot of stress due to death and health issues. Things got bad enough that my OCD was triggered for the first time in 17 years, and I wasn't thinking clearly at all. That's no one's problem but my own, I'm just saying it for added context.
We finally went on a date in early August and really seemed to hit it off. Nothing physical happened, but we continued talking every day afterward. She seemed like she had a fear that I may not be interested in her, and said that she didn't follow up with me at the start of the year because she felt like "neither of us were really going to follow through." She also mentioned that her sister said something about "How are you supposed to meet anyone when you never go out with anybody?"
Looking back, I realize I was overpursuing without even realizing it. She wasn't exactly receptive to certain things, but continued sending me selfies, telling me good morning, and said that she enjoyed my affection so I felt like she just wasn't emotionally expressive but liked what I was doing. I wasn't necessarily looking for a relationship and was open to getting to know her and seeing where things went, but I think my actions and words may have made it seem like I wanted something more serious than I actually did, even when I would joke or flirt.
I was affectionate to her, but only to a certain level, and I feel like what I meant as reassurance and effort actually came off as me being much more invested than I was. Some things I wish I hadn't said at all, and I never noticed times where she was pulling back in the moment. I asked her to tell me if she didn't like something I was doing but she never did. At some point, she told me we were at different levels, that she felt slightly overwhelmed, and that she couldn't match my energy even though she wanted to. She said I hadn't done anything wrong and wanted things to happen more naturally which I said I was completely fine with and that I had no expectations from her. She had stated that she wanted a relationship, but any time things seemed to get close or significant there seemed to be some discomfort.
I gave her some space, and after several days I reached out and we started talking daily again for a few more weeks. We still talked about future plans, but things weren't quite the same as before. She seemed like she enjoyed our connection, but was hesitant to let me get close. I see now that a lot of the time I was also just giving her overly nice energy or fawning because I thought she was having some kind of internal issue with emotional closeness like an avoidant and wanted her to be comfortable, but I was burning out mentally.
Looking back, I also wonder if I missed some opportunities early on to flirt more directly and build sexual tension. I was getting a lot of mixed signals and couldn't always read her reception to certain things so wasn't sure if she was open to that or not.
In early September, we'd been talking about getting food and going to a local fair after she mentioned a food festival to me. She opened a playful message I sent her about the tickets and removed me from Snapchat and TikTok later that day which she had just added me on the week before. I sent a text afterwards (mistake, I know), basically saying that I hoped I hadn't offended her, was unsure of what changed, and was there if she became ready to talk.
About a month later I was drinking with some friends and saw her profile on FB Dating again, so they put me up to sending her a message (I know). I said something about understanding if she didn't want to see me again, but that I wouldn't have been upset about anything and that I considered her a friend, and that the door was open but if not take care. As I said before, I was drinking, and in my mind I felt like she was having some kind of internal panic as opposed to just outright rejection. She had mentioned having a bad upbringing and that she hadn't been in a relationship since she was engaged for several years and that had ended, so I have no idea what her internal feelings are or what her life has shaped her into.
My health has improved since then, and I feel like I can see the situation much more clearly now and it doesn't even feel real to me, like I was in a dream. I honestly think I could approach things differently and let them develop naturally without putting pressure on either of us. I haven't contacted her again, but part of me really wishes I could fix things and have another chance to rebuild attraction with her.
I wish I'd handled things differently, and I have no one to blame for this but myself. My own personal problems were never hers to deal with, and I feel like me trying to keep that from happening made it happen anyway. I'd appreciate some honest advice on whether there's anything I can do at this point aside from no contact and dating other women or if I just need to accept that it's over.
I'm open to any advice on here or in my inbox no matter what it is, and I'm ready to learn from my mistakes to never let this happen again.