@unforth-ninawaters replied to your post

Yeah Ren always sounds to me like the 16 year old protagonist of a JPRG.

lol. Yes! It’s just a little too, “fictional” sounding for me. 

If there’s an alternative that sounds more natural, I’d be happy to use it. Like, I prefer “paramour” or “partner”  to “date-mate”, too. “Date-mate” sounds like a board game title.