I’m 28 and thought I was alloromantic my entire life, and only recently did I realize I’m aromantic. I’ve been looking back at my relationship history, and I’ve been realizing that each person had to check very specific boxes with me — and every single one — in order for me to even consider them being in a relationship with me. But I’m a very sexual being by nature, so if I was attracted to them enough physically, and they checked off enough boxes as a person, then I’d immediately rush into a relationship. A lot of my relationships ended from me ending things as politely as I could due to suddenly not feeling the “chase” anymore. I’m married now and have been with my husband for almost four years, and he’s my soulmate, but it feels like everyone I’ve ever dated, the boxes I was looking to get checked were his boxes, if that makes sense. Like the whole time, I was looking for him. But truly, I don’t really understand how people “date around,” I’ve always dated people to eventually marry them. I don’t see much of a point in a relationship otherwise, and people who stay in romantic relationships who have enough freedom to leave but don’t confuse the hell out of me. Has anyone else dated a bunch of people, only to realize you were probably actually just making friends with them, and then once things got too romantic on their side, whether you were actually conscious of it or not, you floundered?