I'm not the problem
My problem is I don't wanna date people. I wanna date my wife, but to meet my wife I have to date people, okay? And that's where the issue starts for me. Because dating as a process requires patience, effort, small talk, and pretending you're interested in things that may or may not matter long term. I don't wanna figure it out in real time. I want it already figured out, okay? I don't wanna analyze conversations, decode messages, or wonder where things are going. I just wanna arrive at the final version. But apparently there's no direct route. You have to go on dates, answer the same old questions, and pretend you haven't had the same conversation in slightly different formats multiple times. "What do you like to do for fun?" Oh god. I don't know, I'd like to survive this process, that would be great. And you have to act normal about it, like this is exciting, like we're both just trying to figure out if this is worth continuing past the night. Meanwhile, in my head I'm thinking, "Are you my wife or not?" I need to know right now. I don't feel emotionally connected to this system, okay? But I'm willing to participate if I have to. I just wish there was a shortcut.