So my wife and I were high school sweethearts, and long story short, it didn't work out. I'm 26 years old and have never really dated before. Here's what I'm confused about:

The way I imagine this going is, you hang out with someone initially due to mutual attraction, and you get to know each other. But say that I identify some important differences that I know will make "forever" impossible, but we still enjoy the relationship we're having. When/How do you break up?

I'm a very transparent and straightforward person, and I feel like if I realize that it's not going to work in the long run, keeping that to myself would be deception, and I just can't do that. But if I say it out loud, doesn't that just end the relationship, usually? I suppose it matters on what her perspective is, but I'm asking for examples of what might happen/usually happens.
user
What do you do when you realize your SO is not the one for you long term but you still are enjoying the
assistant
So my wife and I were high school sweethearts, and long story short, it didn't work out. I'm 26 years old and have never really dated before. Here's what I'm confused about:

The way I imagine this going is, you hang out with someone initially due to mutual attraction, and you get to know each other. But say that I identify some important differences that I know will make "forever" impossible, but we still enjoy the relationship we're having. When/How do you break up?

I'm a very transparent and straightforward person, and I feel like if I realize that it's not going to work in the long run, keeping that to myself would be deception, and I just can't do that. But if I say it out loud, doesn't that just end the relationship, usually? I suppose it matters on what her perspective is, but I'm asking for examples of what might happen/usually happens.
user
When/how do you break up with someone on a long-term basis?
assistant