I've been with my partner for nearly a year, officially. Before that we'd been seeing each other on and off for a couple of years, but previously whenever things started to get serious she'd call it off. We seem to get on amazingly when we're together - which isn't that often since we don't live together and don't get that much child free time. Sometimes it's several weeks between meeting up. The rest of the time we message each other a lot, which keeps us close - I probably talk to her more than any of my previous partners.
But I'm recently starting to notice that I'm putting in all the effort, and she seems totally impassive to our relationship. I'm not sure if it's just me being over sensitive, and perhaps insecure, or if she just isn't that interested. Some examples:
In all the time we've been together, she's never come round to mine - I always have to go to hers, which I've done pretty much whenever I'm child free. I prefer that in the main (feel more comfortable being the guest that the host I suppose), but it would be nice to just occasionally spend time together at my house. I've invited her over many times, but she's always either deflected the invite, or if pushed, come up with an excuse. It's got to the stage where I actually feel guilty about inviting her round - because I already know the answer, and I'm just putting her in a position where she has to come up with a reason to decline.
The flip side of that is that I always go to hers when I can. But she never invites me over, or even discusses her plans unless I prompt her. Then if she's not busy I end up offering to go round there. I feel a bit cheeky inviting myself over every time, but I suspect if I didn't, we'd never actually see each other - I'd be waiting forever for an invite, or a suggestion to get together from her.
So despite us rarely getting time together, she's still not that bothered about trying to plan so we can. We seem to approach things from opposite perspectives - whenever I'm child free, my main priority is planning things around us being able to see each other. But for her, she plans whatever she wants to do by/for herself, and I only fit in if it's to her convenience. I know she's got a busy life, but mine is equally so. With a bit of careful planning we can usually get everything to fit together. I feel like I'm an afterthought to her, whereas I always try and prioritise her.
When we first started seeing each other, our message chats were prolific - 100's of messages a day bouncing back and forth, almost instantly. Gradually that's reduced (inevitably), but it's now got to the extent where it feels like I'm putting nearly all the effort into keeping the conversation going. She always responds, but tends to add less and less to the chat, and takes ages to reply. I'm not needy, I know people are often too busy to reply quickly (even if she used to), but I know that when I'm with her she always replies to messages from others promptly.
We've been each other's support bubble since they were first introduced, but when it came to lockdown 2 she didn't seem bothered about us bubbling together. Similar for Christmas - I thought we'd be able to spend most of it together, waited for the invite from her, but it transpires she's changed her plans without even saying anything.
I know it's been a tough year, but aside from one meal out together, we've not managed to get out at all. I suggested weeks ago that we could go out for a meal together the weekend before Christmas, but she declined that, saying she'd be too busy then.
There's been lots of other situations like that too, which all leaves me feeling like I'm over committing, and she's not that bothered about the relationship. I'm quite happy with the arrangement - living apart but seeing each other when we can. We both like our own space too much to live together (certainly until the kids are grown up).
She seems less affectionate with me than she used to be too - again feels like I'm putting in all the effort there. Our sex life seems to have dried up completely too, when the opportunity arises she's not interested, but then later mildly 'taunts' me by pointing out that we never got round to it, and promises to make up for it next time. Which doesn't happen, again. I could put up with it being sporadic, just frustrating when she gets my anticipation up and then shies away from it.
I guess I just want to feel wanted/fancied, and at the start it seemed like that, but the more I look at it, it's looking more like I'm just being used to plug a gap and provide company when she'd otherwise be lonely. I expect she'd make out she's shocked (genuinely or not) if I told her how I'm feeling about it all.
I can't tell if she's just not that interested any more, scared of getting too close/serious, or if I've done something to upset her (don't think I have, I've never put so much effort into a relationship before)??
I'm wondering if she's just got used to me being besotted with her, and I'm just being taken for granted now? It's tempting to back off a bit, and not invite myself over, wait for her to suggest getting together next time. But when I've started to try that in the past, to see how long it'd be before she does, I've never let things get that far - I've always 'blinked first'. Just realised that I've not seen my friends at all this year - all my child free time I've prioritised seeing the girlfriend, not something I've ever done to this extent before. For the first time in my life, I've met someone who I really seemed to get on with on a level I've never experienced before. So I don't want to call it off, but I don't want to be taken advantage of either (something friends have suggested is happening).