Pete Richardson of Nashville, Tennessee, thought he was being considerate when he offered to give his clingy, codependent girlfriend, Marissa Lowell, space, only to find that she took extreme offense at the gesture.
"I just told her that instead of us spending every waking second together, she might want to do her own thing once in a while - take a dance class or go to a museum or something," said Pete. "But she told me I was a love avoidant."
Pete explained that he hadn't even known what a "love avoidant" was before meeting Marissa. "I do appreciate having a partner who'll call me out on my flaws," he said. "I'm willing to work on myself."
Pete went on to state that, after he offered to give Marissa space, she accused him of wanting space. "And you know what? I couldn't tell her she was totally wrong," sad Pete. "Maybe I am a love avoidant after all."
For now, Pete says he is giving the space discussion a break while he takes a close look at his own intimacy issues. "Like I said, I'm willing to work on myself. Thank goodness I found someone like Marissa, who doesn't mind dealing with a work in progress. I'm a lucky guy."
