The key to understanding is finishing the sentence.

"I hate small talk... with people I have no reason to talk to and don't care about."

I love my partner, and even when it's small talk I can listen all day, just to hear their voice and learn a little more about them, to feel closer to the person I married in many small ways.

But I don't care about what Jim at the laundry mat did last weekend, or which machine he thinks makes socks dry faster.