Non-Playable Character Boyfriend

I'm a 19-year-old female, and my boyfriend is 20. We've been together for a year, having met at university, and overall, our relationship has been wonderful. He’s incredibly sweet and genuinely cares for me. He’s emotionally mature for his age and is attentive to my feelings, often knowing when I’m upset and what to say to comfort me. However, I have concerns about the depth of our relationship. Despite being together for a year, I've only been to his dorm once and met his friends just once. I feel like we struggle to have meaningful conversations without them becoming awkward. During our interactions, he often responds in a way that feels dismissive, like saying "I see," which leaves me feeling unheard. It doesn’t seem like he’s trying to avoid conversation; it feels more like he just doesn’t have much to say. Additionally, he rarely shares his opinions on various topics. I believe it's essential for a future partner to engage in discussions about daily life, politics, and things we find interesting, but I often feel bored when we try to talk about these subjects. We’re not particularly close – I only see him once a week, and our time together mainly consists of going to the movies, sharing a meal, and some affectionate moments. I hadn’t realized how crucial intellectual intimacy was to me until this relationship. As it stands, I feel as though I can’t engage with him about the world without losing interest. We’re both each other’s firsts in terms of relationships and kisses, but I worry that if I continue in this relationship, I might end up feeling dissatisfied and trapped, simply staying out of fear of the unknown. Since he’s a year older, I think if I ended things now, he’d have more opportunities to meet others who might want a long-term relationship with him. He’s really an amazing person, and I don’t want to waste his time, especially since we both take dating seriously. He’s always willing to address issues and work on the emotional side of things, but I wonder if this particular challenge—his personality—can really be worked on. While he cares about my feelings, which is sweet, I yearn for more engaging conversations about deeper topics. Even after a year, the silences still feel awkward, and I don’t envision that changing. We recently watched a movie that touched on religion, which I thought would spark a deeper conversation, but he became awkward and struggled to express his thoughts. Often, he ends up saying "never mind," leaving me frustrated by his inability to communicate about life in a meaningful way. I question whether I truly love him and if this relationship can survive beyond our fun college years, especially when we face real-life decisions and the initial excitement fades. Since he’s often busy, our texting mainly consists of simple daily updates, usually amounting to about five messages a day, with our in-person meetings just once weekly. I tend to see him as sweet and caring because he tends to accommodate my desires, but I realize this is partly due to his lack of a strong personality or distinct opinions, which is something I find frustrating. So, my dilemma is this: Should I stay in a relationship that I don’t see having a happy future, or should I end it so we can both explore opportunities for deeper connections with others that could lead to lasting happiness?