1. He isn’t weird about his phone. If he has his hands tied and his phone beeps, he asks you to check the text or the email that just came through and tell him what it says. That’s why you know his passcode by heart. He never hesitates to recite it to you, because he isn’t hiding anything.

2. He respects you. During fights, he never curses you out or speaks down to you like a child. Whether he’s in a good mood or a bad mood, he treats you as a true equal.

3. He never crosses the line. He doesn’t flirt with the waitress while you’re out at dinner. He doesn’t make comments about your hot best friend. He only has eyes for you.

4. He exhibits self-control. When he’s mad or lonely or horny, he doesn’t do anything impulsive, anything he’ll regret later. He thinks before he acts. He has a good head on his shoulders.

5. He gives you updates. He never disappears without telling you where he’s going or who’s going to be there with him. He never walks through the door three hours late without a rational explanation, either. He keeps you in the loop, so you never have to worry.

6. He leaves toxic situations. When his ex started acting crazy, he deleted her from his phone. When his friends went to the strip club, he told them he needed to head back home. He takes himself out of sketchy situations, out of respect for you and your relationship.

7. He tells you everything. You have heard detailed stories about all of his friends and coworkers. That’s why you never see a strange female name on his phone that you have to ask him about. You know everyone he knows.

8. He keeps all of his promises. If he says you’re going on a road trip this summer, you’re going on a road trip this summer. If he tells you that he’ll show up at eight o’clock exactly, then he won’t show up a second later. He’s reliable. A man of his word.

9. He has strong friendships. The people he’s close with would take a bullet for him. He’s treated them with nothing but kindness and respect, which is a good indication that he’ll treat you the same.

10. He’s not the type to tell little white lies. Unless it was about a birthday present or a surprise party, you’ve never caught him lying to you. Even when he has something difficult to say, he says it. He doesn’t fib or hide things from you out of fear that you’ll get mad.

11. Nothing sketchy ever happens. You’ve never found lipstick in his car or a dating app on his phone. You’ve never heard gossip about him from his friends or warnings about him from your friends. You’ve never had any real reason to worry.

12. You feel it in your gut. You can just tell he’s a good person. You can tell that he would never hurt you. You trust him with your whole heart.

Holly Riordan is the author of Lifeless Souls, available here.