Initiating means stating plainly that you want someone and then waiting to find out if it is returned. In a long relationship, where a no has history attached, that is a real risk.
The person who always initiates gets tired
Not of sex — of being the one who asks. Over years, doing all the asking starts to feel like evidence.
The person who never initiates is often not uninterested
They are frequently just out of practice, or unsure they will be wanted. Assuming disinterest is usually wrong and always damaging.
Make the ask smaller
An agreed signal, a text earlier in the day, an old joke — anything that lets someone raise the subject without putting their whole ego behind it.
Answer the ask, not just the question
Even when the answer is no, acknowledging that they reached for you keeps them reaching.