I’m backpacking alone right now and got totally hooked on polyamory TikTok. I texted my crush back home proposing we date non-monogamously when I get back, but we haven’t even had our first kiss yet. Now they left me on read—did I jump the gun?

Hold your horses: you just tried to install solar panels on a house you haven't even laid the foundation for yet. TikTok makes non-monogamy look like an aesthetic, effortless buffet of endless affection, but in reality, polyamory is graduate-level emotional communication. Pitching an open setup to a crush before you’ve even held hands in real life doesn’t sound modern to them—it sounds like you’re already shopping for an exit door before you've even walked in. Hit the brakes and reset. Your crush isn't necessarily rejecting you; their brain is just short-circuiting because you asked for the expansion pack before playing level one. Text them something low-key that defuses the drama: "Hey, forget my theoretical relationship seminar, travel brain got the best of me. Let’s just get some food when I’m back and see how we actually vibe." First find out if the spark works offline, then you can worry about how many candles you want in the room.