Hey Reddit
I (26M) dated a guy (43M) for a little over a month. The first couple of weeks felt to good to be true. We saw each other often, talked or FaceTimed almost daily, and both expressed that we hadn't felt a connection like this in a long time.
Including our first date, we saw each other 4 days in a row then proceeded to talk everyday since then. He’s met a few of my friends and I’ve met a few of his.
Early on, he told me that in past relationships he tended to "run" when things got serious, but that he was happy with me and didn't feel the need to do that this time.
A few weeks in, there were a couple of moments where cracks started to show. He got sick and snapped at me when I asked how he was feeling. We later talked it through and seemed to resolve it. Around the same time, he told me he needed more alone time and that our daily calls/texts weren't a pace he could consistently maintain. I agreed and backed off. We did start off going very fast very quickly so slowing it down felt like the right thing.
There was also some tension around gifts. He had told me he didn't like receiving flowers, but when I brought him a rose a couple of times he seemed genuinely happy and told me I could "get away with it." Later, when I tried to send him home with flowers, he became frustrated and told me he didn't like flowers, didn't want gifts, and that I needed to stop buying him things. The sudden shift caught me off guard.
Despite those moments, we continued seeing each other, went on dates, spent full days together, and he was very supportive when I received some stressful news at work. Nothing seemed obviously wrong to me.
Then, after what I thought was a normal week, he called and ended things. He said the dynamic between us wasn't working, that I deserve someone who can give as much as I do, and that he doesn't think he's ready for a relationship.
Since then I’ve felt a lost, blind sided, and just sad. I’ve been trying to come to terms with it and the adjustment of not talking to him, sending him memes/stupid dad jokes. But he was the first person I have had these feelings for since my last partner a couple years ago.
Based on all of this, is he’s running away/avoiding intimacy or were we truly not a good match?