A Kink Misunderstanding

I met my partner Alex when I was in college. We were both in our early twenties and started dating casually before eventually moving in together after a few months. As we got to know each other, we talked about sex and kinks more openly. I mentioned that I'm into the idea of being dominated by someone who's confident and assertive; it turns me on to have someone make decisions for me or give me orders. Alex was initially intrigued but never really delved into specifics with me. We had a few instances where I would suggest role-play scenarios involving gentle dominance, and he always seemed receptive and playful about it, but nothing ever came of those suggestions. Over the months, we just fell into a comfortable routine without any deeper exploration of these kinks. One night, after some drinks at a party with friends, Alex suggested we try something new and asked if I would be his submissive for an evening. He said he had been thinking about it and wanted to explore my interests more seriously. I was excited but also nervous since it's the first time he'd ever truly tried to lead in that way. The role-play started off great with Alex being commanding and setting some clear boundaries, I liked how safe and controlled the experience felt at first. However, as we continued, his tone became rougher and more demanding, pushing me harder than I expected. He wasn't angry but very direct about what he wanted from me. I found myself struggling to adapt; his sudden shift into a strict leader threw me off balance, especially since our usual dynamic was much softer and gentler in nature. We stopped when I told him it felt too intense for me at that moment. The next day, we talked about what happened, Alex admitted he had gotten carried away by the thrill of being in control but didn't realize how far overboard his enthusiasm took us. He was genuinely apologetic and said he needed more time to ease into taking a dominant role with me since it wasn't something he'd ever done before. Since then, we've revisited that experience occasionally when both of us feel ready, slowly building up the intensity together. Our relationship has grown stronger from this shared vulnerability but also teaches me how important clear communication is in kink play.