The slow fade is infuriating and confusing and unfortunately, it’s the way a lot of people break up with each other these days. But there are signs that it’s happening so you can be prepared:
- He calls only when it’s something important. He used to want to chat with you all the time, but now it seems like your BF never has time to talk to you on the phone unless it’s really important. Texting isn’t so hot, either. You used to be able to have long, interesting discussions, but now you’re the only one trying to hold a conversation for longer than five minutes. You spend a lot of time staring at your phone, seeing that he’s online and wondering why he isn’t bothering to answer.
- Getting him to have a conversation is like pulling teeth. A bit of silence between you and your partner is good as long as it’s comfortable, but if it happens all the time and your real life conversations are becoming as dull as your text-based ones, there’s a serious problem. It seems he doesn’t have much to say to you anymore, which makes for some awkward silences.
- He’s moody AF. He’s gone from being chilled and positive to being irritable. Yikes. You might think he’s probably going through some drama at work or his blood sugar is out of whack, but let’s get real: if the behavior continues, what’s really going in is that he’s changing… but only around you. Check out what he’s like around colleagues or friends. If he’s his usual laid-back and cheerful self, then you know that the problem is at home.
- He picks on you for little things. One of the best ways for cowardly guys to break up is for them to make YOU to want to break up so that you’re the one responsible for it. It’s sneaky. Your BF might be picking fights with you on stupid things all the time, like the brand of shower gel you bought or because he doesn’t want to attend your friend’s birthday party. It’s not about those things at all, but a deeper issue.
- He’s more mysterious than he used to be. You might wonder why the guy who used to be so open about his feelings and whereabouts is now suddenly becoming vague. For instance, if you ask him what he’s up to on the weekend, he won’t be able to give you a straight answer or see you unless it’s convenient for him. He might also say he’s really busy without actually telling you what he’s busy with. He’s starting to leave you out of the loop of his life.
- He Photoshops you out of his future. Lately your BF has been talking about making some important changes in his life. This could be taking up some cool sporting activities with his friends or accepting a cool job offer in a different city. The problem isn’t necessarily the changes he wants to make, but that those changes don’t involve you.
- He has sex with you but he’s not emotionally intimate. One of the things that can leave you confused about a guy’s intentions is when he’s still physically intimate with you but has stopped giving you emotional intimacy. He might even have stopped telling you he loves you. Don’t let the fact that you’re still having sex with him make you think everything is cool or going to improve. He’s taking the sex because it’s available to him, but he’s not interested in anything deeper than that.
