There have already been several common interests established after a period of several months of serious dating.

You have met this person’s friends and family and have gotten along with them, finding several common values in the process.

He has repeatedly prioritized you in his life with his consistent attention and availability.

You know his long-term goals, and they align with yours.

All of this has been mutual.

He loves your family and friends as much as you love his.

He is fully aligned with and supportive of your goals as much as you are his.

Beyond this, the final and highly critical step is that there is no longer a filter between you.

As in, you are no longer doing everything in your power to cover up your personal idiosyncrasies so as to impress each other.

Rather, any shield that was once there has come off.

You have experienced each other at your best and worst.

On a mental level, he has witnessed you being upset, thanks to a bad day at work or an argument with a close friend or family member.

On a physiological level, he has seen you at your worst in appearance.

No facial makeup on, wild hair, unshaved legs, bloatedness, etc., are but a few of these moments.

Despite all of this, he has never judged you.

He accepted these moments where you were at your worst without discouragement.

Instead, they made him closer to you as he took on the responsibility of supporting you through it.

He was an ear for you to bear your grievances to and someone who gave you words of comfort or advice.

In all of this, you were receptive.

As he was doing all of this, you felt a strong sense of emotional reassurance.

Instead of feeling exposed, you felt safe.

He was seeing you at your most vulnerable and wasn’t judging you for it.

This realization is freeing.

It means that you don’t have to keep putting out your best possible representation each and every time you interact with him.

You can be yourself through and through.

The good, the bad, and everything in between.

When this experience of seeing the best and worst of each other is mutual, you are at a point of complete vulnerability and trust.

You are metaphorically naked to each other, and neither one of you is turned off by it.

This is where the idea of a long-term relationship is far more practical.

Given that long-term relationships are bound to be fraught with ups and downs, you are better ready for this ordeal when vulnerability and trust have already been established prior to making a long-term commitment to each other.

If anything, you look forward to these ups and downs with the utmost confidence, knowing that you are both equipped to face them and come out the other side much stronger as a couple.

The right person to be with long-term is someone that knows you, accepts you, and is aligned with you.

All of this requires a robust and sustained period of dating before it can be established.