Firecrest

I haven't told that many people so far that I'm on the aromantic spectrum. Not that it's a secret, it's just that I see it as a part of myself like I see my eye color or my height - I bring it up only if it's relevant to the conversation. So far, most reactions were very positive and supportive; some a bit confused, but positive nonetheless. I got a bit less positive one the other day: "You're an incel now?"

Aromantics see their partners only as sex objects. I have to admit, I at one point thought aromantic meant that you just want sex without the emotional part of the relationship. There are surely some aros who do, but now I know it doesn't apply to everyone. It was part of the reason I never asked myself if I was maybe somewhere on the spectrum up until recently. Aromantic people are cold-hearted and emotionless. I'm a big hugger, expressive and sentimental person. And I love my friends and family very very much. "You're just making up an excuse for being single." Why would I be making an excuse for something I don't feel bad about in the first place.

Hello everyone, I'm Firecrest! I'm a 23 year old guy who has just recently concluded he's grayromantic. I would love to share my story how I got to this point. To be honest, the signs were always there, but I never gave it much thought. Throughout my life I have never been in a romantic relationship. Nor was I ever really bothered about it. I always pinned it to me being a bit introverted. But so were my friends, and yet they managed to get into relationships. I could never imagine myself dating someone I just met. I also thought crushes were a rare occurance, but as I got older, I realized that is not the case when some of my friends would talk about them relatively often. "But maybe I just haven't met the right person, right? Or are my standards too high?" Near the beginning of this year, I reconnected with a friend and over the next few months I developed the deepest emotional bond I've ever had with her. And I started to suspect I might have developed something more than just platonic love. But I could never give myself an answer; I didn't have anything to compare it to and for each argument for what I've been told is romance I could find an argument which is completely against romance. Not mention, the more I thought about romantic relationships, the more I realized I didn't need it for what I truly wanted: emotional support, vibing, the feeling of being loved and potentially someone to live with. One day, she told she thinks she might be aromantic. After listening to her, I told her about my situation. We talked for quite a while and I learned that there is a whole aromantic spectre. I began reading about and concluded I'm gray because: A) Not sure where the line between platonic and romantic is B) I needed a very deep bond to even question it C) Lack of crushes D) No desire for a proper relationship. Maybe I am completely aromantic, but until I can 100% say I don't love my friend romantically, I'll identify as grayromantic.