I feel like I’m missing a part of my relationship and I don’t know what to do.
I’m 16M and my girlfriend is 16F.
I never thought I'd come to Reddit for relationship advice, but I feel like I need some outside perspectives.
My girlfriend and I have been dating for about 8 months, and overall it's been great. Despite our age, I think we have a really mature connection. We laugh together, have deep conversations, and emotionally she's everything I look for in a partner.
The only issue is physical affection.
I'm a very physical person. I like holding hands, hugging, kissing, cuddling—those little things are how I feel loved and appreciated. I'm not asking for anything crazy, just small moments of affection that make us feel close. In my past relationships this was never an issue, so I'm not really sure how to handle it now that it is.
I know she likes me, and I know she finds me attractive, but sometimes it doesn't feel that way because physical affection just isn't how she expresses herself. For example, we went on a date last night, and it felt like I had to fight just to get a kiss or cuddle. It felt like I was the only one making an effort for us to be physically close.
I know it makes her nervous, and since I'm her first boyfriend I've tried to be patient and give her time to get more comfortable. But after 8 months, I honestly haven't seen much progress.
I don't know if this is something that can improve over time, if we're just incompatible in this area, or if I'm overthinking it.
I know a conversation needs to happen, and we have talked about it before. The conversations usually end with her saying, "I understand," and that she'll work on it, but nothing really changes afterward.
To make things harder, she's leaving today for the Dominican Republic for a month, so I won't get to see her at all during that time.
How should I move forward? Has anyone been in a similar situation? I really do love everything else about our relationship—I just feel like this is the one part that isn't progressing, and I'm not sure what to do.
Any advice would be appreciated.
TL:DR
I love everything in my relationship but the physical aspect is missing and I don’t know what to do.