32M | Married 1.5 yrs | With STBXW 8 yrs

I won’t bore you with too many details. My STBX asked for space after some tough conversations about our long-term outlook. I lost touch with myself and independence after being isolated with my STBX since the beginning of our relationships. While we love each other, I couldn’t give anymore to the relationship.

In Feb 2023, we agreed I’d visit family for 2 weeks and then come back together to continue working on things. However, it’s end of July and we haven’t seen each other since.

While this may be best for me/us, the speed of deterioration is jarring after so many years together. We agreed on an amicable divorce and we signed the papers two weeks ago.

Advice part:

A woman from my past who I had no romantic relationship with (my younger brother’s friend) reached out to me randomly - I wasn’t seeking her.

We went out for drinks and she’s been very supportive and non-judgemental of my failed marriage. We continue to communicate as friends and she’s asked to come over to hang out or grab dinner. Everything has been platonic to this point but she’s very emotionally intelligent and is capable of drawing out deep conversations with me and so we’re connecting at a deep level.

Needless to say, I’m starting to organically develop feelings for her and getting hints of her feeling the same. I’m struggling with seeing this as “natural or real” or is this me trying to fill the void left by my ex.

I’ve seen in this sub that most guys say wait a year before jumping into a new relationship. But I literally have not seen my ex since Feb and I’m confused about if I should pull back from this natural momentum or embrace it. I knew I’d have to move on but she’s the first woman since my ex that I’ve connected with and it could be serendipitous or it could me just wanting a new connection.

Given this background, how would y’all suggest I approach this?