Sure, we’ve all dated the wrong guy at some point — a guy you thought was great at the time, only to realize after the breakup that he was a total disaster. These days, it’s easier to recognize dating red flags when you meet someone new, but signs that you may have finally met Mr. Right can be harder to see — especially if you’re more than a little cynical about love after dating so many duds. If you’re trying to figure out if your current boyfriend is the right guy that you’re meant to be with, here are a few signs that your relationship could just be the one you stay in for the rest of your life.
- You’ve never felt the need to search his phone. Some relationships have an “open password” policy, which usually makes both parties feel a little violated. Not only do the two of you respect each other’s privacy, but you have no reason to doubt his commitment towards you. There’s never been any type of sneaky or suspicious behavior that makes you feel played, and since he seems pretty open about the people he meets at work, you don’t feel the need to have any doubt.
- He doesn’t make you feel bad if an outing is less that pleasurable. OK, so you dragged him to see a few terrible Cameron Diaz rom-coms last year, and realized midway through all of them that they weren’t worth the admission price. There was also that time when you dragged him to your coworker’s 30th birthday party, and it turned out to be an awkward, drunk karaoke fest. Face it — you don’t always plan well. You might apologize, but he never makes you feel bad. After all, to him, these are all experiences that make excellent “remember when?” stories later on.
- He respects your parents. The “meet the parents” visit is a nail biter for all involved. Obviously you want to show your parents that you’ve met a nice, responsible guy, but also don’t want your parents to do anything that’ll possibly put him in a strange position (such as your Dad asking him if he’s looking at rings yet). Not only is he on his best behavior, but he makes a point to get to know them as people, beyond their parental titles. Even if your Dad says something questionable about politics at the dinner table, your boyfriend knows that it’s not the proper time or venue to hold a debate about it.
- He thinks it’s important for you to know his friends. You know that he needs a guys night as badly as you need a girls night every once in awhile, but when he goes out to a bar with his buddies, you don’t have to worry about any type of shenanigans. After all, he made a point for you to get to know them pretty well beforehand. A guy who makes a point to introduce his girlfriend is openly saying that he wants you to stay around for a while, and doesn’t want to keep you in the dark about his social circle.
- He’s not impulsive over big stuff. Buying a pizza? Sure. Quitting his job? No way. Your guy is impulsive enough to be exciting, but not to the level of potentially hurting himself or his future plans. He clues you into the big stuff beforehand, since he knows that his actions will ultimately affect you, as well.
- He always has your best interests at heart. Nobody likes being in a long-distance relationship, but if you were offered a killer internship on the other coast for a few months, he’d push you to take the opportunity. He knows it’ll be tough, but not impossible, to remain connected while you set to achieve your own goals.
- His life itinerary keeps you in mind. Couples often have the “timeline” chat, and he’s always quite open with his. If he wants to graduate from college and move to another continent for the life experience, you won’t find this out the second after he buys the plane ticket. Likewise, if he absolutely hates his job but knows that you adore yours, he won’t make you quit in order to uproot the household to chase an opportunity elsewhere. No matter what, you’re a team, and always think of each other both now and in the future.
- He observes. Favorite ice cream? Chocolate chip cookie dough. And you take your coffee black with three Splendas.  He doesn’t even have to ask these tiny personal facts, but he’s gotten to know you and your preferences solely by observation. It’s just nice to not have to worry about whether or not he dumped half in half in your cup during his coffee run — he knows better than that.
- You have a hard time keeping anything from him. You’re not a good liar and hate doing it anyway, but it’s impossible to lie to this guy, even about stupid stuff. So if you accidentally shrank his sweater in the wash, you couldn’t even think about destroying the evidence. You know that honesty is the best policy, and feel worse hiding things from him than you would admitting to the crime. Mr. Right knows that everyone makes mistakes, and that your actions weren’t malicious in any way. (That said, you should probably replace the sweater.)
- He gets your weird sense of humor. You don’t know why, but that car commercial with Jaleel White makes you crack up every time. It’s not even that funny, but it tickles you in some way. Your guy gets it, and loves seeing you laugh to the point of tears. Even better, he never has to ask you to explain the joke, or makes you feel bad for having a reaction that he didn’t. If he gets your humor, you know that you can 100% be yourself around him, which is one of the most important qualities of a soulmate.
