Afraid of initiating intimacy?

Are you scared of crossing a line?
Scared of being rejected?

>>18204452
Not OP, but I have the same problem.

And yeah, mostly rejection. Also a fear of being vulnerable to others. Lots of it comes from past relationships/the relationship with my family growing up.

Been cheated on twice. Parents were never loving or caring, blackmailed me as a kid to get me to act how they wanted, etc.

Trust issues, pretty much. I'd rather be alone than have to feel like that again. But, either way, it's a crippling way of life.

>>18205906
Then they reject you and then what

>>18205997
Then you wait for them to be comfortable.

>>18205997
>Then they reject you and then what
Give up, eventually move on. Rinse, repeat.

I don't have any trouble with the initial parts of dating, and even touchy-feely flirting. I start withdrawing once it gets to the point where I have to be "emotionally available"

I'm not seen as confident by others, but I'm apparently witty/charming/funny (i get called a womanizer by lots of people)

That is, until they see me for who I really am - a depressed sap with self esteem issues and doesn't know his own worth (the last girl I was seeing said this to me, and that she wanted to help me. I ghosted the shit out of her).

So I either fake it, never open up, and have an emotional breakdown as a result and leave the girl (or get left by her for my stubbornness). Or I open up, realize how weak of a person I am, and then leave her.

Yup. I'm fucked.