I hope you feel better for airing that out. I don't see where you hurt anyone's feelings. You had work pending but still managed to fit in a date night with BF. That's what adults sometimes have to do -- juggle work stuff.
To me it seems like much ado about nothing. You both are still hanging on to this? Why?
There was a date planned, you had work. Did you tell him you had work pending and you were going to use his workout time to wrap that up before going over there?
If he chose NOT to work out, where is surprise? You still had work to be doing. So he could make space for that and occupy himself doing something else for 40 min. Watch a movie, play a video game, read a book, cook the dinner. Whatever.
Instead of prioritizing getting work out of the way first, it sounds like you accommodated to have all the date activities first. Is that your habit? Is this part of why he expects you to be "entertaining" all the time -- because you are?
When we got back, I apologized profusely but explained that I just had a bit more work to do. He paced the room like a lost cat as I tried to finish and finally he, without saying a word, just went to sleep.
Why apologize profusely? What terrible thing did you do to him? It's just work.
Why is this a surprise for him and then pacing around with... impatience? Didn't he know this already before you came over? Or was this the first he was hearing about you having pending work?
If he preferred the date be over now so he can get to sleep? He could have asked you to do the work at your home rather than at his place.
I tried to explain that just being near him is special to me even when he is working or otherwise busy, but he flat-out said he didn’t share that sentiment.
Fair enough. People are different and feel different about "parallel play" where one person does one activity and the other does something else while in the same room.
In the end, I didn’t bite my tongue, “okay, then what I understand you to be saying is that I should only be around if I can be fun and entertaining?”
“Yeah, we’re not married,” he responded.
So here might be the place where you have different values and/or different expectations.
Sounds like you do most of the giving/accommodating. Sounds like he withholds affection or emotional reciprocity if things aren't going his way.
Since this was months ago and still bothers you... maybe you are seeing him in a new light?
Galagirl