When is the right time to walk away?

I was seeing someone for a little under 2.5 months. We’d usually see each other once a weekend and text pretty consistently during the week. On paper, it looked fine. No big fights, no dramatic red flags. But something always felt… unclear.

As someone who needs consistency and directness to feel safe, the in-between*was the hardest part. Plans were often vague. Conversations about where things were going felt brushed past. I’d replay interactions in my head, wondering if I was asking for too much or just asking the wrong way.

Dating is already exhausting for me because I don’t pick up on subtle shifts easily. I rely on patterns. When those patterns start changing slower replies, less initiative, less follow-through, I don’t know if I’m supposed to wait, ask again, or take that as my answer.

I finally walked away, not because I stopped caring, but because I was spending more time confused than calm. And that’s what I’m sitting with now: the guilt of leaving when nothing was “technically” wrong, mixed with the relief of not constantly questioning where I stand.