Good guys seem so rare these days that when you do actually meet one, you’re always a little terrified he’s just a jerk in disguise. If you think you’ve snagged a good one but you’re still a little nervous, there are a few ways you can tell he’s not just another toxic guy who wants to manipulate you and ultimately break your heart.
- He means what he says. The best way to be sure that he isn’t an idiot is by comparing his actions to his words. You don’t have to worry about him bailing on you or whether or not he’ll actually call. When you’ve got a good one, he says what he means, and means what he says.
- He’s actually good at adulting. He’s motivated and ambitious, and won’t be hitting you up for money on the regular. Unlike a toxic guy, he’s someone you can actually build a future with because he can financially contribute and bring something valuable to the table.
- He doesn’t have a bunch of hidden side chicks. Gone are the days when you’re constantly questioning how many girls he’s talking to on various dating apps. A good guy makes it known to you that you’re the only one he’s interested in, and he won’t act sketchy trying to hide conversations from you.
- He can actually plan a date. Instead of asking you to Netflix and chill (because yes, this still happens in 2023, even if people don’t call it that anymore), he puts a little bit of thought into dates so he can get to know you and make you happy. Even if he isn’t super creative, he still makes the effort to bring you out into public instead of hiding away with you on a couch at his house.
- He’s not into undefined and confusing relationships. A good guy isn’t interested in almost relationships, or playing any games. If he gets to know you and likes you, he has no problem committing to you and making you his girlfriend. In fact, he wants to make you his before someone else does.
- He brings you to meet his friends. Once he starts bringing you around his friends, chances are, he’s fairly serious about keeping you around. Jerks rarely do this because not only do they refuse to commit, they also have several girls they’re playing at the same time, and that’s just too many to introduce.
- He wants to see you, not blow you off. This is a strange concept to the douchebag types, but the good guys who genuinely like you will actually stick to plans and be excited about them. Not only will he try to see you on a regular basis, but he’ll probably already be thinking about seeing you again before the date even ends.
- You don’t just see each other at 2 a.m. While a toxic guy only wants to see you for a booty call in the middle of the night on a Friday, a nice guy wants to spend all day Saturday with you instead. It’s not to say that he’d complain about a fun Friday night, but you’re more to him than that, and he wants the quality time, too.
- He makes you feel like a million bucks. Crappy guys are notorious for making girls feel really good one minute, and really bad the next. Any guy who’s worth your time will make you feel like you’re on top of the world. He’ll boost your confidence and bring out the best in you just by being consistent and treating you well.
- He’s not still hung up on his ex. He doesn’t have leftover baggage from his previous relationship and he doesn’t compare you to his ex. A toxic guy still gets wistful thinking about his last girlfriend and is clearly still carrying around some unresolved feelings for her, even if the relationship ended six months ago. Yikes.
- He knows how to apologize. The ability to say sorry for making a mistake is another big thing that sets the good guys, and the not-so-good guys, miles apart. While none of us are perfect, a real man knows when he screwed up, and he has no problem admitting to it, and making things right again.
