I posted this as a comment, but now I was wondering about the bigger picture: how do you balance giving a person a real chance, while at the same time not getting too involved too quickly?

My problem is that once I start talking to someone, I don't necessarily want to do the same with other people. If you're interesting to me, I want to give you a real chance. (I'm not on OLD btw currently. I meet people through work, friends... last guy was in the same online workshop over zoom, lol)

This also means that after the first or second date, I can be pretty invested if it is a good match. Not in the sense that I'm already imagining a wedding, but just already excited about the next date. But they might be dating around, or not over their ex, or whatever... and I find out and then I'm still pretty hurt. Mind you, this is independent of what has happened during the dates physically. A great conversation can smitten me as much as a kiss on the first date, or maybe even something more intimate on the second, if I feel like it. So the fact that I'm "loyal" (whatever that means) kind of prevents me from taking things slow on the emotional side. How to handle that?

The thing is, suggesting that I should just do the same and date around more is not really what I want... I would feel shitty to meet X on Friday for rhe first time, and then Y on Saturday for a second date. What if by Sunday, I loved the conversation with X about the Witcher, but also shared a beautiful kiss wlth Y as we said goodbye? If either of them would become my future bf, I would feel bad that I "tainted" our first memories together...

In addition, there are super limited options to actually date for real now, of course, due to covid. Meeting up is actually a risk, if we are honest here. And lastly, it takes time... I usually have only two to three nights a week where I could meet someone (the rest is filled with online classes after work and hobbies), and I need one night for myself... so even if I wanted to, I cannot really fit more than one or two dates into my week.

In short, both the logistics and the emotional impact of dating multiple people do not appeal to me. But I feel pressured to do it because apparently, that's how it works. Any advice? How did you do it?