Do people have relationships for present satisfaction or future security?

I've been wondering this for a while now.

I'm happy to not have a boyfriend or any kind of romantic relationship right now, and that's the way I've been for as long as I can remember. I feel like I never have enough time in the day to do all that I want to get done, and a boyfriend would just be one more thing to take care of and pay attention to. Also, I'm pretty moody, and I know if I had a boyfriend, I'd treat him awfully sometimes, which, in turn, would just make me feel bad.

I was having a talk w/ my parents recently, and they know I've always been a "Having a significant other is totally not for me" kind of person. They were telling me that I may feel this way now, but when I get older -- particularly when all my friends have gotten married and have lives of their own that are very separate from mine -- it will be easy to feel lonely if I don't have someone, especially later in life (like in my 60s).

I can't deny the possible truth in that, and I admit that I'm scared it might be true for me. But what am I supposed to do w/ that now? Find a boyfriend just because I'm afraid of being lonely LATER? I think it's also easy for me to go, "Hey, I don't need a boyfriend," today because I feel like if I wanted one, it wouldn't be terribly difficult to just find one. Is that a totally cocky thing to think??? I'm not beautiful or tall or terribly masculine or... well, really, I don't have that many things going for me... but I just don't think it'd be that hard to find SOMEONE. Maybe I feel that way because I'm young enough (24) and I feel like there are always lonely guys who are just looking for someone young, regardless of almost anything. Well anyway, cocky or not, I admit that I feel that way right now. But lately I've also been realizing that this will not always be the case -- that when I get older and uglier and fatter and all that, who's going to want me? When having a boyfriend is no longer a readily available option, then will I want one? Will I want one only when I can't have one?

This has all been going through my head particularly because there's someone who I think might be interested in me, and I don't know how much to pursue it right now. He seems like a nice enough person, and he's cute, and there are a lot of things about him that I admire. I feel that I could learn a lot from him, that he has a lot to offer. But part of me is just like, "Do you really want to go down that road? Having a BOYFRIEND?" And I don't think I do. But I'm afraid I'll regret it later is all.

Sorry for the rambling post -- had to get it all off my brain.