A relationships expert has explained the four things you should be wary of when you're in the early stages of a relationships, which are the reddest of flags.
Jana Hocking is a seasoned dating expert from Australia, and in the past, she's given her opinion on things you might want to avoid in the bedroom, as well as acts that women find the most attractive.
But now, she has shared the four behaviours that most likely mean that you're about to get 'ghosted'.
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'Ghosting' basically means to stop communicating with someone with no warning or reason given, ignoring all future attempts from the other person to get in touch.
It's really toxic, and while Hocking may be an expert on sex and relationships, she revealed to news.com.au that she was recently a victim of the trend.
Recalling that she had 'finally found the perfect man', Hocking said her brain 'short-circuited' after just one kiss.
In fact, she claimed that he ticked all the boxes for her, going as far to admit that he might have been the one.
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They both admitted they had feelings for each other, but just months down the line, he ghosted her, and said that it 'might have been my fault', analysing the signs that she admitted were there for ages.
"He was never really into it," she stated.
She realised that he would talk a lot, then disappear for days, and when he did appear, it made her feel 'like a million dollars'.
Hocking only saw him three times, explaining: "Despite countless texts, voice notes, cheeky sexts and calls, we had just two dates and one birthday party together."
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So from her situation, she outlined the four things you should be looking out for to avoid the same outcome as her.
Being vague about plans
While warning others to focus on actions rather than words, Hocking said that upon reflection, his actions said 'I’M NEVER GOING TO DATE YOU PROPERLY'.
One of these signs was when she would get heart-eye emojis, though trying to plan things would be really hard.
She highlighted phrases such as 'I’ll check my diary when I get home' and 'Let’s lock it in next week' as signs to call it a day.
Getting left on read
We're not saying to start panicking after five to 10 minutes of being left on read, because they may be busy, but if it's hours on end, the sirens should be loud enough.
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"My guy usually got back to me around 10pm, which didn’t scream 'priority'," Hocking admitted.
Talking the talk but not walking the walk
While compliments and late-night chats can feel nice, taking action after putting the phones down is crucial, according to the expert.
She claimed that they're simply using you for attention, with no intention to go further - wasting your time and effort.
Excuses, excuses, excuses
Hocking says that 'half-a**ed excuses' are a no-go, though she missed all the signs at the time.
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The Australian recalled: "We had a date planned, and when I suggested going out instead of dinner at home, he suddenly remembered he had a work meeting."
She later realise that he, in fact, did not.
The expert highlighted that if they aren't interested in 'proper dates', you can expect to be ghosted in the future.
Signing off, she said not to listen your heart (which may be a bit far), and to use your brain a bit more as 'the signs are always there'.
Topics: Community, Sex and Relationships
Joshua Nair