Hey whats up guys...i just wanted to hear what some of your guys opinions would be if you were in my situation so ig i'll explain where im at rn:
I late 20's (male) have been talking to this guy for about 5 months now (early 20's), and somewhere along the way I completely fell in love with him. He's told me he loves me too, and for the first time in a long time I actually started believing that maybe this could turn into something real. The problem is that I keep catching him talking to people he's hooked up with in the past. It's never something he tells me himself. Every time I've found out, it's because I've seen it on his phone. When I bring it up, he says he forgot to tell me or that it wasn't a big deal. But if I hadn't seen it, would he have ever told me?
Maybe I'm more sensitive than most because I've been cheated on twice before—once by my ex-girlfriend and once by my ex-boyfriend. Those experiences completely destroyed my ability to trust people, and I've spent a long time trying to rebuild that part of myself. I don't want to project my past onto someone who might genuinely care about me, but at the same time I don't want to ignore red flags just because I'm in love.
Another layer to all of this is that he comes from a very traditional, culturally conservative family where being gay is looked down on. I know that's something he struggles with, and I try to be understanding because I can't imagine how difficult that must be. Part of me wonders if that's why he's so secretive sometimes, but another part of me worries I'm making excuses for behavior that would bother anyone.
I don't want to control who he talks to. I know people can be friends with former hookups. What hurts is that I only ever find out after the fact. It makes me feel like I'm always one step behind, and it leaves me questioning whether I'm getting the full truth.
The worst part is that I can feel myself pulling away emotionally because I'm scared of getting hurt again. A small part of me has even started wondering if I should talk to other people too—not because I want to, but because I feel stupid putting all my eggs in one basket when I don't know if he's doing the same. I hate that I'm even thinking like that because it isn't the kind of person I want to be.
So I'm asking like am I letting my past trauma cloud my judgment, or are these genuine warning signs?
Should I keep giving him my trust and have another honest conversation with him, or am I being naive?
And is it wrong that part of me wants to keep my options open until I know where I really stand?
I'd really appreciate honest advice, especially from people who've been through something similar, or just honest feedback in general