1. He doesn’t get annoyed when you spend time with other people. He actually encourages you to go to dinner with your friends, get drinks with your coworkers, and catch up with your family members — because he wants to see you happy.

2. When you leave the house in a short dress, he doesn’t get nervous about all the boys that might look at you and try to convince you to change your outfit. He tells you how gorgeous you look and how he feels lucky to have you. He’s happy you’re comfortable with your body. He wants you to love yourself.

3. He hates fighting with you. In the middle of an argument, he never storms off and leaves the conflict unresolved. He sits down with you and tries to figure out what the problem is and how to solve it. He would never leave the room while you were crying. He’d wrap his arm around you and try to calm you down — even if he was still pissed at you.

4. He treats your friends like his friends, your parents like his parents, and your dog like his dog. He makes an effort to be kind to the people closest to you, because if they matter to you, they matter to him.

5. He doesn’t make you feel shitty about the things you like. Even if he has a different taste in music or shows or books, he doesn’t make fun of the ones that you like. He would never make you feel bad about your interests.

6. He puts in actual effort. He texts you in the morning. He plans dates with you days in advance. He helps out with the dishes and the laundry. He doesn’t get lazy on you.

7. He has turned you into a major part of his life. All of his friends, family members, and coworkers know your name. You’re all over his social media. You’re the background of his phone. You’re a huge part of his world.

8. Whenever he screws up, he apologizes. He doesn’t try to blame you or his parents or his exes for his mistakes. He takes responsibility for his actions. He never makes excuses.

9. He never makes you feel uncomfortable in the bedroom. He makes you feel safe. Secure. Sexy. And he makes sure that you experience as much pleasure as he does. He certainly isn’t selfish.

10. He’s serious about spending forever with you. He never threatens to break up with you. He never makes comments about how he wishes you were more like someone else or how he misses the single days. He wants you and only you.

11. He agrees to things he doesn’t really want to do, just because he knows it will make you happy. He’ll take twenty selfies with you. He’ll bake cupcakes with you. He’ll go on picnics and take you ice skating — and he’ll actually end up having fun, because he’s with you.

12. He pays attention. He doesn’t buy you generic candles or socks for your birthday. He buys (or creates) presents that fit with your personality. Sometimes you feel like he knows you better than you know yourself.

13. He’s your teammate. You always win at Charades and Pictionary, as long as you’re on the same side. And you can put together furniture from Ikea without starting a fight. You work well together.

14. He’s open and honest with you. You know how he met all his best friends. You know who he gets along best with at work. You know about his childhood trauma. You know everything, because he hides nothing.

15. He’s loyal. He never flirts with any other girls, because he’s already with the girl he wants to spend forever alongside. You never get nervous about him cheating.

16. He tells you he loves you on a daily basis. He gives you hugs from behind and plants kisses on your forehead. When you’re with him, you’re never starved for affection. He gives you everything that you need.

17. He’s more than your boyfriend. He’s your best friend in the entire world.