I'm a 23-year-old male, and I'm feeling unappreciated by my girlfriend, who is 24. I'm unsure about how to proceed from here and could really use some advice or support.

My girlfriend and I have been together for about eight months. The first two months were the most incredible of my life. It felt like we were deeply connected and shared a lot of love for each other. There was mutual understanding and lots of listening between us. We were close both physically and emotionally. I always make a point to compliment her, support her, and do little things to brighten her day. She often wanted me over right after she finished work, and we would spend long stretches of time together. She would sometimes pout playfully if I had to leave or couldn’t visit. I fell deeply in love with her. I’ve always tried to communicate openly and be as understanding as possible. I want to treat her like a princess—opening car doors and taking care of the little things. However, after about two months, she started to distance herself and became more closed off. Given her history of difficult relationships, I tried not to overthink it, but her behavior shifted; she started to show signs of annoyance and even disgust at times, which was really painful. While we used to be intimate—sharing showers and sleeping close—it’s now been six months since I’ve received more than a peck on the lips. We now sleep at opposite ends of the bed. Though I adore her pets, she seems to have neither the time nor the energy for me anymore. Whenever I bring up the idea of being romantic, she gets irritated. I always do what she wants and even drove ten hours to bring her one of her puppies. I would do anything for her, but I often don’t even get a thank you. Lately, she rarely looks me in the eye. At the start of our relationship, she mentioned it would take her at least six months to say "I love you," and she wasn’t interested in sex often, which I completely understood. However, the ongoing lack of care, affection, and love has taken a toll on me. I find myself overthinking constantly. For months, I’ve tried to gently express that compliments or small notes would mean a lot to me. In the beginning, it all felt so effortless. When our six-month anniversary came, she knew I would be giving her gifts and seemed excited, but despite my thoughtful present—a sweet rose, a stuffed animal, and a handwritten note—she didn’t reciprocate and just wanted to hang out. It feels more like a friendship at this point. When I try to address our relationship issues, she claims I’m arguing. She says I compliment and love her too much, which makes it feel less special for her, and that she needs more alone time. Talking to her often feels like speaking to a brick wall. It hurts to think that I might be unintentionally hurting her or making her feel uncared for; I would try to correct that if I could, but I get nothing back in return. On my birthday, we went out with friends, and while she kindly paid for my meal, that was about all the effort she showed. I got hurt falling down her stairs, and her response was simply that I was "fine." She has faced extreme hardships in previous relationships, but when I mention how she treats me, she insists her behavior is normal, while I just treat her exceptionally. In my view, "normal" shouldn’t mean being emotionally unavailable. She doesn’t seem to make an effort to comfort me, show care, or offer compliments. Yet, she claims she wants to be with me. She hasn’t said "I love you" yet and doesn’t demonstrate that she genuinely cares about me. I know I deserve better, but I feel a deep attachment to her and her pets, whom I adore. I keep hoping that things will improve, that we’ll have another romantic moment or become close again. I long to feel loved, appreciated, and cared for—by her, specifically. Week after week, nothing seems to change. I'm at a loss about how to move forward. Since we also work together, I can’t bear the thought of just being friends—it would break me. Why would she say she wants to be with me but have no energy to engage or even write me a note? I feel so lost and confused after what once seemed perfect, desperately clinging to the hope that the spark will reignite from her side.