I’m 27 and was dating a 29 year old woman for 6-7 weeks. Honestly, things felt really good for most of it. We spent a ton of time together, had amazing chemistry, slept over together a lot, went on dates, texted constantly, and generally acted pretty couple-y. She also told me she dates intentionally and wouldn’t spend this much time with me if she didn’t see it potentially progressing into something serious.

Naturally I developed strong feelings because from my perspective things were moving toward a relationship.

Then she asked for some space to think about us. After a few days, she called me and said she didn’t think we should continue romantically.

Her explanation wasn’t that we were toxic or constantly fighting or anything like that. She said she had noticed a couple behaviors/comments from me earlier on that gave her pause, and she waited to see if they’d happen again before making a decision. According to her, they did.

Some of the concerns she brought up were that I don’t have as consistent of a routine as she’d want in a long term partner, I don’t work out as much as she’d ideally like, I spend too much money, and I go out with friends too much on weekends.

What’s hard for me is that none of this ever felt like a major issue while we were together. We genuinely got along really well and she consistently made me feel emotionally invested in. So hearing all this at the end felt surprising and honestly painful.

I’m trying to understand if this is just what intentional dating in your late 20s looks like. Do people sometimes genuinely like someone a lot but still decide their lifestyle/habits aren’t aligned long term? Or does this sound more like she slowly lost attraction and rationalized it afterward?

Would appreciate honest opinions, especially from people around this age range.