@Dannyfanpooch “I’m just kind of worried that it won’t end up the way I want”
That’s always a risk, so what you need to do is assess your priorities and game out the different possible outcomes. How valuable is it to you that you clarify your relationship status right away, and how does that compare to the potential value of ending up in an exclusive relationship with this person?
If you have the conversation now, you will find out sooner rather than later what she thinks about your relationship status. The risk here is that you end up pressing the issue too soon and she pushes you away (even if she might have been interested in developing what you have into an exclusive relationship).
If you don’t have the conversation now, you can still have it in the future. But if you’re only looking for a long-term partner, then the risk here is that you are spending time on someone who isn’t interested in having that sort of relationship (or who isn’t interested in having that sort of relationship with you).
“and then I’ll never want to talk to her again or waste my time”
Okay, but if a certain outcome would result in you never wanting to talk to her again or feeling like you are wasting your time, isn’t that a reason to have the conversation sooner rather than later? Having the conversation can’t change whether or not you are wasting your time. It can only change whether or not you are aware of that fact.
I do think it’s important to know how long you’ve been seeing this woman, however. If it has only been a few weeks, it’s too soon to be worrying about exclusivity unless you aren’t willing to be any non-exclusive relationship (in which case, that’s something you should have brought up right away). If it has been a few months, then the conversation is probably overdue.