Are You His Cushion

How do you tell if you’re his fallback girl? Clara How raises the red flags, with help from a few guys.

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

How do you tell if you’re his fallback girl? Clara How raises the red flags, with help from a few guys.

My Reading Room

1 He texts you mostly during working hours

It’s easy to send texts during office hours, when he’s alone and not accountable to anyone. But if you notice that the text messages slow down after 6pm, that’s a red flag. It’s likely he’s spending time with someone else.

2 He doesn’t like making plans ahead of time

Is he a fan of spur-of-the-moment dates? If he’s reluctant to commit to watching that play which is opening in a month’s time, it raises the question of who else he’s juggling his schedule around for.

3 He doesn’t tag you in his photos of your time together

You had a romantic brunch date, he took a flat lay of the meal and posted it on Instagram. But guess what? You weren’t tagged in it. That begs the question: If he felt it was a special time to remember, why didn’t he tag you in the photo?

4 He makes minimal effort

There are only so many times you can settle for just dinner and a movie, especially when everything’s supposed to be fresh and exciting in the early stages. If he’s not making the effort to plan anything special, it’s an indication he’s not that invested in the relationship.