[EDIT: typo]
Hello all.
I (35F) met this man (37M) on an app and we have been dating for around 3 weeks now, so this connection is quite fresh and new.
We have been on 3 dates, they have been lovely and did not turned sexual yet. He is (or was?) The most mature and grounded man I ever dated, I had never experienced this level of care and respect in such an early stage before.
When we met, both of us already had travel plans already established. After our second date, I had to travel for 10 days and he kept steadily in communication even though we were 7 hours apart in time. Sharing things, calling, sending thoughtful messages. I came back from my trip and we had our third date, that was lovely and I receive so many indications of interest from him that it almost felt like he was feeling a bit more deeply, but of course that was only my perception and I can always be wrong.
The next day, he needed to travel. Again, we are in different time zones (he is 5h ahead of me). We are currently on day 4 of his absence, and he has been again very consistent with communication. Sending clips of his surroundings, asking about my day.
And then, he kinda trie to escalate the conversation sexually, but not in a gross or aggressive way. Or at least it didn't felt so to me, but maybe you ladies will have a different perception.
I am not the type of person who feels comfortable with "sexy pictures". I don't like them, i feel uncomfortable. This man asked me for such picture, and I playfully declined. He moved on with his usual warm texting and sharing style, and yesterday he shared with me that he had been sleeping a lot while readjusting to his current time zone. I made a warm joke about the temperature of his bed (it is an inside joke) and he said something along the lines of "if I had that sexy pic I asked for, it would feel like you are sleeping here with me."
I took a couple of hours to reply to that because I was at work, and he kept on sending cute panoramic videos of his surroundings. Beautiful sunsets, beautiful nature.
When I finally managed to reply, I warmly and playfully declined again to sending the sexy pic, and remarked on the beauty of the scenery he shared.
And now, more than 24h passed… and I got no more messages from him. He left me on read.
I didn't reached out back, didn't asked questions or did anything. Just let it sit.
But I admit I am very uncomfortable with this silence and I don't know if my feeling are out of proportion, or this is legitimate reason to be upset. This never happened before with him, so it kinda hurts a lot.
I am not sure if this is a case to disengage. This man is on a work trip across the planet, and he has family there. So I don't want to flip and act crazy because a man who is not "my man" is living his life. But also… is this sudden change in pattern something I should consider more seriously?
How long do you wait before you disengage? How do you react when/if they come back? How long is too long for me to consider this as him pulling away and pulling "the bullshit"?
I would appreciate hearing any thoughts!