“We have been engaged for a year, together for five. Every time I ask about a wedding date, he says after his promotion, and the promotion has moved twice. Last month I learned he told his parents we have not decided whether to marry at all. He says he only wanted them to stop pushing. I love him, and our days together are good. Do I give him a deadline, or keep waiting like he asks?”
Sarathi, the voice that reads your dilemma, asked one thing first: Has he said directly that he wants to marry you, or only that he will after his promotion? You: I have asked about the date many times, but never straight out whether he still wants to marry me.
The callBefore you set a deadline or "keep waiting like he asks", the clearest next step is asking him directly whether he still wants to marry you, not only when.
You: Ask him in a quiet moment whether he wants to marry you, and why he told his parents it was undecided.
The exact first sentence to say“When you told your parents we haven't decided whether to marry, was that true for you?”