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Dear Anna,

I’m 28 and have been seeing a guy around my age for a few months. We clicked fast in conversation — texting every day and even saying good night, sharing long voice notes, that kind of early-stage excitement — but because of work and conflicting schedules, we’ve only managed a handful of actual dates.

Last week was my birthday, and I invited him to stop by for a low-key dinner with a few friends. Nothing intense — I was clear he could come as a friend, no “meet the inner circle” energy. He said he’d “probably swing by,” then on the day didn’t show. And it’s been pretty much radio silence since then.

I told him a few days later that I’d felt a little let down. He replied that he prefers to keep things “easy and unplanned,” and that

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