“This time around I’m taking a different approach to dating, and that includes taking it slow and allowing time to really get to know each other well. I’m only interested in dating people who are looking for the same thing I am: a long-term, serious relationship.”
“Going slow means taking as much time as we need to get to know each other to see if we’re a fit. It also includes not having sex until we agree to be exclusive. If our relationship progresses to the point where we agree we’re a great fit and we both want to become more serious, then we can decide at that time if we want to be exclusive and not date other people. Or if we later decide that it’s not working, then we can go our separate ways. This approach gives us the flexibility to revisit how we feel about each other later on. Will this work for you?”
Later on:
“I want you to know that I really like being with you and I like what we have together. I want to keep seeing you, but I also need to consider the future. I’m certainly not getting any younger! Seriously, I don’t want you to feel pressured about this, but as I said when we first met, I’m looking for a committed, long-term relationship, and you said you are ultimately looking for the same thing too. I think we both agree we’re not ready to jump into anything that serious – yet! So I’d like for us to keep getting to know each other over the next several dates. How about we set a time frame to check in again? Let’s say we check in in a few weeks (set a time frame). Then at that point we can see how we feel about things. If it feels good to both of us, then we’ll see if we want something more serious, and we can begin talking about an exclusive relationship. Are you okay with this?”