1. They actually text you back. And you can tell that they’re doing it because they WANT to, and not just that they know you want them to.

2. But you don’t panic when you don’t hear from them, because you know eventually you will.

3. You can be comfortable being silent together. You’re no longer trying to fill in any ‘awkward silences’ because your quiet moments are just as full as your talkative ones.

4. You don’t worry about freaking them out. You know you can be yourself and they’ll still be there.

5. They want you to be friends with their friends, and you can tell they’re excited when they see you bonding with their buddies.

6. You can sleep together without “sleeping together.”

7. The times when you’re not doing anything are just as fun as when you’re out on some adventure.

8. You get genuinely excited to tell them things about your day. You think about them when things happen and what to include them.

9. You feel just as attractive with them at 9 AM when you’ve just woken up, as you do when it’s 9 PM and you’re all dressed up for dinner.

10. You find yourself thinking about the longterm. Instead of just thinking in the now, you think about what your lives will be like in the future. And you think about it as a ‘we’ not just a possibility.

11. You want them there when you’re sick. And you want to be there when they are too.

12. The idea of them meeting your parents doesn’t freak you out or make you embarrassed. You’re actually excited about it.

13. You’ve made plans to do something together that’s significantly in the future. Like going to a concert in a few months, or taking a mini vacation together in the holidays. You plan things out farther than just the weekend.

14. They keep things at your place, and vice versa.

15. Even the things they do that annoy you still kind of make you smile.

16. You’ve actually considered hashtagging something #goals or #bae (even ironically) because you know it’s true.

17. You stop comparing them to your past relationships or previous hookups because whatever this is, whatever this new relationship is, is completely unlike anything else you’ve experience thus far.

18. You aren’t afraid that they’re just going to leave and never come back after a fight. You know you’re stronger than that.

19. Your differences don’t make you skeptical, they make you excited to learn more about them.

20. You can be weird together, laugh together, cry together, get vulnerable together. Basically any feeling is valid and on the table.

21. Just thinking about them randomly during the day make you smile. It can be when you’re home alone, or at four in the afternoon at work — you’ll still get a stupid grin on your face when they pop into your mind.

22. You find yourself hanging out with them to just be around them, not just because you want to hookup or fool around.

23. No matter how big or small the occasion, you just know it’s going to be better if they’re there too.