You are allowed to pick and choose when to answer my texts. You are allowed to drop out of my world for weeks and come crawling back like nothing ever happened. You are allowed to flirt with other girls and then slide into my DMs pretending I am the only person you have any interest in dating.
But you are not allowed to get angry at me when I do the same exact thing, when I give you a taste of your own medicine, when I stop placing you as my first priority and push you to the back of the list.
If you are going to ignore me for days at a time, then you cannot expect me to rush to my phone and type out an answer seconds after you send the first text. I am not going to drop everything for you when you never give me the same undivided attention.
If you are going to play the field and avoid putting a label onto our relationship, then you cannot ask me to remain loyal to you. I’m not going to consider myself taken while you are walking around like you are still single.
If you are going to consistently cancel plans at the last second, then you cannot cry about my busy schedule and whine when I tell you there is no way I’m going to get a chance to hang out with you this week. You don’t get to complain about not getting what you want when you never give me what I want either.
I am not interested in one-sided relationships. You might think I am canceling plans and waiting hours to reply to your messages in order to get some sort of revenge on you, but that is not the case. I am not trying to get a rise out of you.
It’s just that I’m not stupid enough to chase after you. I’m not going to treat you like royalty and hope you eventually realize how lucky you are to have me. I’m not going to sit around, plotting new ways to capture your attention.
I am going to give the same amount of effort I receive. I am going to treat you the same way you treat me. If you put energy into our relationship, then you will see the best sides of me. But if you are an asshole, then I can be an asshole too.
I’m not sorry for having high standards. I’m not going to apologize for standing up for myself. I’m not going to let someone convince me they deserve every little piece of me but I don’t deserve the same thing in return. I am too smart to fall for that kind of manipulation.
I am not a pushover. I am not willing to settle for a relationship where my time and attention is taken for granted. So you can treat me like shit — but don’t complain when you get the same treatment thrown back in your face.
By Holly Riordan for ThoughtCatalog