If you’re waiting for a guy to tell you exactly what he wants from your relationship, you’ll probably be waiting for a long time. Most of us usually aren’t going to push the issue and use words like “commitment,” “girlfriend,” or “exclusive” without prompting. The silver lining is that actions always tend to speak louder than words. Regardless of what he’s saying, more times than not, what he does will tell you how he feels and his intentions for the relationship. With that said, here are 15 clear signs that a guy is interested in being exclusive with you.
- It’s all in his eyes. So much of a guy’s feelings for you can be detected from his eyes. If he’s on a date with you but still looking around, perhaps at other girls, he’s probably not feeling it. If he can’t keep his eyes off you, he thinks you’re something special. It means all of his attention on you and he’s not interested in anyone else. In other words, consistent eye contact is the gateway to an exclusive relationship.
- He always makes time for you. You know a guy is serious enough about you to become exclusive when he always rejigs his schedule to make sure he can include time with you. He doesn’t try to cancel or wiggle out of plans with boring excuses. On the contrary, if he’s willing to break other plans just to see you, he’s definitely digging you in a serious way.
- He invites you to be around his friends. It’s always a meaningful step when you meet a guy’s friends. It’s even better when you don’t have to push him for an introduction. When he wants you to hang out with him and the guys, it’s a sign that he thinks you’ll be around for a long time. He’s expecting things to get exclusive and so he wants his friends to become comfortable being around you.
- You meet his parents unprompted. Likewise, get introduced to a guy’s parents can be a sign that he’s willing to get exclusive with you. Again, it matters if you push him to meet his parents or he does it voluntarily. The latter is obviously a sign that he wants things to get serious.
- He’s not shy about PDA. Here’s the thing, most guys hate PDA. It’s not that we hate showing affection to you specifically, we’re just fans of it in general. If he’s cool holding your hand, putting his arm around your waist, or even giving you a kiss in public, he’s likely doing something that he hasn’t done with other girlfriends. It’s a sign that you’re special and he might want to be exclusive.
- He wants to go on vacation with you. It’s hard to plan a vacation with someone without wanting to be exclusive with them. Just so we’re clear, this doesn’t mean a night or two away. It has to be at least three or four nights, maybe a week to count as a vacation. But even if he doesn’t say the word “exclusive,” if he agrees to go away with you on a trip, saying the word is mostly a formality.
- You spend the holidays together. On a similar note, spending one or two days together during a holiday can equal a week-long vacation. Of course, it has to be a real holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Attending a 4th of July barbeque with someone doesn’t mean anything. However, most people don’t spend Thanksgiving with someone if they’re not a serious partner.
- He’s cool with posting couple pics on social media. Most guys aren’t super obsessed with social media, so don’t read too much into their online behavior. But if he’s willing to put pictures of the two of you online, it’s a safe bet that you’re an exclusive couple. The only other option is that he’s secretly trying to make an ex jealous.
- There are no dating apps on his phones. In fairness, you might need to snoop on his phone to know this for sure, and I’d advise you to do that at your own risk. But if you know for sure this guy has deleted dating apps from his phone, you can bet he’s down for being only with you and isn’t interested in looking for anyone else.
- He remembers what you say. Much like eye contact, a guy who’s actually listening to you is probably fine being exclusive with you. It could be the things you like or the stories you tell, but if he shows you that he’s taking in and absorbing what you say, he’s got genuine feelings for you and won’t be worried about locking things down.
- He checks in with you frequently. Of course, it’s one thing if you ask him to check in with you, but if he does it unprompted, he means he views things as being rather serious. It also means he’s thinking about you, which tends to be the case when you’re exclusive with someone.
- He wants your opinion. Unless they have a formal mentor, most guys aren’t actively seeking the advice of anyone. If they’re casually dating someone, they surely won’t be concerned about that person’s opinion. But seeking advice about something serious is meaningful. It may not guarantee exclusivity, but it shows that you’re more than just a casual partner.
- He’s cool with labels. Most of the time, guys don’t get too caught up with labels. If he wants to keep things casual, he’ll fight labeling things as much as possible. When he’s cool being called your “boyfriend,” you can pretty much assume he sees himself that way and is only with you.
- He asks the right questions. Let’s be honest, the conversations in casual relationships will only go so deep. When a guy truly wants to get to know you, he’ll ask the right questions that indicate that he wants to dig a little deeper. It’d be weird for him to do that if he didn’t see some kind of future with you in a serious relationship. Just keep in mind that this probably only means that you’re on the road to being exclusive. You may not be all the way there just yet.
- There’s plenty of post-sex intimacy. A guy’s behavior after sex can tell you a lot about what he wants. If there’s cuddling or any other intimate behavior, it’s a sign that he genuinely cares about you. Guys who want to keep things casual will pull out all of the stops to avoid those types of things from happening. If there are signs of true intimacy before or after sex, it usually means he’s open to a deep, committed relationship.