1.

He mentions things he admires about you that go way beyond the physical, like your commitment, ambition, or giant heart.

2.

He notices whenever you wear something that deviates from your typical style, or do your hair a little differently.

3.

He texts you things like “hey there” or “what up?” just to open a dialogue midday, but never at some ungodly, offensive booty call hour.

4.

Except when he’s a little tipsy and he can’t help texting around midnight to say “hi” or “come out!,” but not with the intent of trying to hook up.

5.

He remembers little details about your past conversations and all the times you’ve spent together—subtle but meaningful proof that he cares.

6.

When he hugs you, he holds on for a millisecond longer than most people do and then squeezes you tighter right before releasing you.

7.

He’s legitimately always happy to see you, whether or not he always says so.

8.

He’s old school chivalrous, always letting you step out of an elevator first, holding doors open, and offering to help carry your things.

9.

If you’re having relationship troubles, he takes your side on every contentious issue no matter what.

10.

He’s always urging you to look out for yourself and saying that you deserve to be treated well, subtly hinting at how well he would treat you if given the opportunity.

11.

He doesn’t brag about past “conquests” or talk about hooking up with other women when you’re around.

12.

He’s overly cautious not to disrespect women when you’re together, forgoing terms like “pussy” and “cunt.”

13.

He looks into your eyes when you speak and you can’t help feeling better about yourself whenever he does—as if your thoughts and opinions suddenly hold more weight.

14.

He brings up the possibility of marrying you one day as if he’s joking, but you sense on some level that he’s not, really.

15.

He regularly suggests doing things that he knows you like to do, like hit up your favorite ice cream shop or go see the movie you’ve been dying to stream.

16.

He finds excuses to touch you, but not in an intrusive or sexual way. He rubs your shoulders, places a hand on the small of your back, or helps you tuck a stubborn wisp of hair behind your ear.

17.

He’s not afraid to look ridiculous around you. You have at least one photo or video of him making a silly face or doing a silly dance on your phone.

18.

He asks you for advice about everything from school to work and his home life—and then actually follows it 99 percent of the time.

20.

He sends you hilarious screenshots of text threads between him and other people because he wants to involve you in his life as much as possible, and he knows that you’ll just get it.

21.

He comments on your social media posts with inside jokes or references only you could possibly understand.

22.

He tags you in the comments sections of memes that he knows will crack you up.

23.

He asks you for tips on who to follow so he can synchronize his social feeds with yours and stay up to date on the stuff you care about.

24.

You’ve caught him staring at you out of the corner of his eye, but not in a creepy, get-in-her-pants kind of way.

25.

He compliments you, not just offhandedly but in a thoughtful manner that demonstrates he’s definitely paying attention.

26.

He tells you how he honestly feels about things—issues big and small that impact him for whatever reason—because he wants you to know that he’s an emotional being and not some male robot.

27.

He picks up the tab when it’s totally unnecessary because it seems like the gentlemanly thing to do sometimes.

28.

He encourages you to follow your dreams because he truly believes that you can do anything (and he secretly wants to be there every step of the way as the plot of your life unfolds).