I told him I wanted to go out for dinner one of the nights he is home. I think I made it clear that I wanted it to be just us--a real date!
Hi Matilda - This reminds me of the time when NG was still moody after the end of his a. He would give the impression of hearing me, and later I would discover that he had no clue how to make it happen. When I would suggest we go out one night, turns out NG was anxious it had to be an expensive posh thing, and what would we possible have to say to each other for 4 hours when we see each other every day almost all day, anyway. The thought of having to 'entertain' me scared him, apparently. We had to break into the going-out thing slowly, by first making it a foursome with another couple, and then by re-learning how to chill out together without any expectations on either side. Lots of WOA to NG helped make him more comfortable that there wasn't a huge mountain to climb.
Maybe an activity combined with dinner, say movies? It also seems to help if you were planning to go (ideally with friends) whether he comes or not. That seems to reduce the 'pressure' that an evening's success is dependent on their moods/decisions.
