Turns out communication actually works chat

okay so.

I have a friend who I love very much and who has been incredibly kind to me over many years.

however I think we have very different approaches to romantic/sexual relationships?

every time I talk or joke about my fuck buddy of several years she's always assuming there's some deeper emotional investment on my part. like I made a joke today about how he's an inconsistent texter and she got all serious and implied I was not respecting myself by seeing a guy who gives mixed signals. like that's not what this is? if I was gonna develop feelings for him, I would have done that already? I'm not pining or expecting anything more than the relationship we already have? it's literally just sex with a person who I get on with. I don't want to date him! I have fun and I go home?? It's sorta annoying he doesn't text consistently but it's not a big deal???

she's also the same friend who suddenly gets all "you don't need to label everything about yourself" whenever I try and talk about maybe being a bit aromantic. Like yes I know, could you fucking walk with me a bit here???

She gets lots of crushes and seems really confused that I don't really get crushes? Also when I do crush on someone it can disappear pretty rapidly if that person isn't in my life consistently? She'll pine over someone for months and I'll mostly get over stuff quickly.

I've been seeing someone recently who I like and I'm excited to date her which is nice. But my friend was sooooo fucking thrilled I was "finally" kinda crushing. Like I have my own complicated feelings about not really experiencing much romantic attraction but it's not particularly helpful to have her in the corner kinda like "see! you're actually normal!"

I'm generally really happy by myself and I'm not really looking for a serious partner? Like my ideal is a kinda poly thing where I'm seeing a couple of people but I don't have a primary partner? (I thinnnnnk the term is solo poly?). like I genuinely would love to be a couple's third?? I like the idea that I'm not having to put all my emotional, financial and energy eggs in one human sized basket? My whole life I've always been kinda unfussed by relationships. I like being by myself and I've never been super interested in changing that? My biggest feeling about it is that it could be nice to be someone's priority and/or it seems helpful to share expenses. Like that's it and those aren't particularly romantic or things that are necessarily impossible outside of a romantic relationship?