My take on time is fairly simple. If I like you, whether romantically or platonically, I would generally want to spend time with you. But the time I spend with friends rests on certain conditions. The more aggressive or vexing you are, the less time I can tolerate to spend with you. Alternatively, the more I feel comfortable around you, the more likely I can tolerate you for longer periods. If I am interested in you, expect me to want to spend time with you. It's my dalagang Filipina way of saying, "Hey I like you. Would you like to get to know me better?"
Of course, if I don't like you, i I'm uncomfortable around you, if your personality stresses me out, or if your presence vexes me to a point where I feel like lashing out... I'll avoid you.
You may or may not take my desire to be around you as criticism, but let me try to illustrate my feelings by taking an example from the animal world: I'm like a turtle. I'm slow to warm up to people and I'm mostly fearful of strangers. I take time to embrace people individually because that's really the extent of my capacity. I am patient but my patience has limits. The more you tap on my shell, the more I withdraw. If you try to infiltrate my safe space, and if I have sharp teeth, I could bite.
