i'll share one story. i got time today
in september it was my birthday. about a month before it she said she knows the perfect gift to get me. about a week before it she asked me what kinda cake i like (vanilla or chocolate) and implied she was making me a cake. around this time i was at her crib one day and also let her know i was gonna set up a reservation for this new restaurant in town thats been fully booked (a few wks in advance). remember all these pts lol.
so my birthday comes and she doesnt get me a gift (perfectly fine) and then at some point throws it out there that shes making some cupcakes but they turned out kinda bad...and asks me if i wanna come over and get some.
because of how she framed it, i take that as, she was just making some cupcakes randomly (that had nothing to do with my birthday) and she might throw em out but i can get some beforehand. she was too proud to just say, "hey i baked you some cupcakes for your birthday, when can i bring them?" i say sure, ima be chillin after work so she can bring some or i can come get em...to let me know when. later that night my brother visits and she doesnt follow up. around 9 or 10PM i ask her what happened. half hour later i hear a knock on the door and she brings some cupcakes but doesnt stay long cause my brother was over.
apparently i forgot to say thank you and she thought i was unappreciative (thats my bad, i fully thought i said thank you and wondered myself if i did when she left). unbeknownst to her, 4 girls either bought me or baked me cupcakes for my birthday that week lol (the jamaican girl above included). this isnt a humble brag or me being egotistical btw...she just wasnt doing anything to stand out.
a week later i asked her what that perfect gift idea was? she says she was gonna get me a watch the throne vinyl (thoughtful but i dont have a record player so its good that she didnt). i ask why she didnt go through with it. she tells me because she didnt think i did enough to warrant her spending 100-150 on a gift. i told her that i understand. however, the dinner i was gonna take her to at that restaurant prolly woulda ran me around $200, so whats the big deal? it aint like she broke either, shes a pharmacist. i tell her she shouldnt half ass it, and that if it was me in her shoes i woulda got her the gift if i thought it was the perfect gift for her regardless of the cost. she felt she had to be sensible. fair...no harm no foul.
so thats the kinda thing i mean when i say shes preserving her ego. she wants me to prove myself while i am busy messing with women who are equally proving themselves to me. she aint putting in effort to stand out so she hasnt given me a reason to focus on her.