My boyfriend and I have been together for nearly two years now. We started dating in high school (we are both each others' first significant other). Now we are both in college in different states. I am in my second year of college now and for the past two months or so I have felt as though I do not feel the same way I used to. I also simply do not think I want to stay with my first boyfriend forever, I want to try with different people and experience new things. And I just don't feel the same anymore.
However, I am nervous that I am just not in the "honeymoon phase" anymore. I care about him as a person, but I feel like whenever I think about "us" I just wish we could be friends instead. I have not been texting him as much because it has started to drain me, which I feel very guilty for. I do not feel excited any more when thinking about our future. To be honest, if he told me that he had cheated on me, or had fallen in love with someone else, I don't think I would care. I know it sounds dumb and cliche, but I do kind of think I am a very different person than who I was when we started dating. I have changed a lot since I was 16/17, and dating him sometimes feels like trying to hang on to someone I've "grown out of", as horrible as that is to say.
The thing is, he is great. He is lovely, kind, and a wonderful person. We haven't had problems. We don't argue, at most we have slight disagreements that we work out patiently and kindly. I just feel very distant, but the distance doesn't make me unhappy. I know it makes him unhappy though, so I try my best to not be too distant, but he is a great person who deserves to be loved by someone who can give him the same energy back.
To be honest, the outcome I think I would most prefer (although maybe unrealistic) is one where we could remain friends. He has mentioned before that he is terrified of being broken up with, and I feel horrible that I am thinking of doing that to him. I want to try to minimize the amount that it hurts him, although I know this will be impossible to do completely.
So I guess my questions are: How do I know if I am losing feelings, or just out of the honeymoon phase? Is "I just don't feel the same anymore" a good enough reason to leave, especially since he has been a wonderful boyfriend? If you have any experience breaking up with someone who didn't do anything wrong, can you tell me how it went/give me advice? Thank you