Good & Healthy Relationship Advice & Tips

1. He’s not ready to say it. Guys usually have a different opinion of loving someone versus being in love than women do. Just because he’s not saying it now doesn’t mean he’ll never say it. He’ll say it when he’s good and ready, and then he'll probably just blurt it out awkwardly while you guys are eating pizza or something.

2. He’s been hurt before. If the last woman he loved stomped all over his heart, he'll need to feel really secure before he says it again. And he might need some help from you to feel that way.

3. He’s never said it. If he’s never said it to anyone, he just feels it’s important to wait. Maybe he’s just a gruff badass with a heart of gold, like Jason Borne if Jason Borne didn’t look and act like Matt Damon.

4. He’s afraid you won’t say it back. The idea of having someone say, “What?” or even worse, “OK,” when you confess your love to them is scarier than watching Insidious while tripping hard on Nyquil in a creaky old house by yourself with a fever (This has happened to everyone, yes?). If he doesn’t feel like he’s going to get an “I love you” back, he might be holding off.

5. He’s waiting for a perfect moment. He wants to tell you, he just doesn’t want to tell you right after you’ve had sex or brought him Taco Bell. He wants the moment to be special, like when you’ve just had sex while eating Taco Bell.

6. He thinks it’s too soon. His heart's screaming, “I'M IN LOOOOVE,” but the rational parts of his brain are thinking, “It’s too soon, bro,” and also it’s weird that his inner monologue addresses him as “bro.”

7. He thinks it will make him too vulnerable. Some guys think saying, “I love you,” first makes them all wimpy. These guys are dumb. You know what makes them wimpy? Not being Chuck Norris.

8. He’s not ready to get serious yet. He might not hate the idea of getting serious eventually, but right now, not so much. Just let his love incubate like a baby chicken and it will be really cute when it hatches.

9. He’s waiting for you to say it first. He made up his mind already, but this way is easier. No risk, all reward. Kind of lame, but whatever, maybe he's just that feminist.

10. He doesn’t love you. Harsh, but #truth. If it’s early in the relationship, he might just need time, or maybe he just sees it as a casual fling.