Potential Love Interests

Potential love interest time?

Let me start with a disclaimer that I really suck at dating.  I'm horrible at it.  

I vehemently resent the idea of dating.  Yes, that's the best statement for it.

Reasons: I'll like someone, they don't like me back.  Someone likes me, I'm not interested in the slightest.  Find a "friend" to be "friends" with and they're horrible at being "friendly".  

The worst thing with potential love interests is when a precedent is set.  Mostly, with texting, which, how can you date in this modern time without texting?  You really can't.

Here's the most annoying thing...follow along kiddies:
You start talking to a guy.  You text all of the time.  You text for weeks and weeks.  He texts first, you text first, it doesn't matter.  You decide to go out on a date.  He texts you after the date.  You assume everything is all great.  Resume texting.  One day, you don't get a text...odd, right?  You text nonchalantly like "Hey, what's up?" and suddenly you're needy!

Now, I've never actually had someone come out and say "holy catballs, you're needy", but it's really easy to assume that that's what they're thinking.  Here's the thing: you're not needy...you've gotten into a routine of texting this one person everyday and suddenly they're not texting and you are just resuming as normal...except for some reason, they've decided without cause or warning that they've had enough.  

This really bothers me with dating.  I mean, I could write a whole book on mistakes I've made while dating, but being needy wouldn't be on the list.  I'm quite ok doing my own thing...as a matter of fact, I've spent most of my life doing my own thing.  I obviously don't need someone else to function or else I would have died over a decade ago.  

Here's another thing.  Dating is so fucking mysterious.  What the fuck happened to the old courting rituals.  I mean, I'm not saying let's all go back to arranged marriages (which usually are awesome as fuck, by the way), but how about being open and honest.  You didn't talk to a girl unless she was a whore or you wanted to marry her.  What happened to that?

I'm tired of being forced to play these dating games when they go against my very being and nature.  If I like someone, what's wrong with being like "Hey, I like you."???  I think nothing.  I've opened myself up for rejection, but I've put my feelings out there and really, that's all that can be done.  I hate having to mask my feelings and play coy.  I'm not coy.  I'm up-front.  

I think I'm a catch.  Maybe I'm not.  Dating causes self-doubt.  How can we move forward if we're full of self-doubt?