Cosmopolitan

Is he your GWB?

12:44PM, Jan 31

Unlike the one who got away, the GWB or Great White Buffalo is the one you’ll never have. When is it time to give up the hunt?

He has the charm of George Clooney, the body of Channing Tatum and the sweetness of Ryan Gosling. Yep, we’ve all had him - the guy that we thought was the greatest thing since the first ep of Gossip Girl. But even though you’re totally awesome, he seems to be completely immune to your powers of seduction. Sadly, chipping away at his defences over time will get you nowhere. So when do you stop chasing that Great White Buffalo?

It’s time to read the signs ladies: these are the things that flag no deal…

He doesn’t listen. Some guys are plain forgetful, but if he doesn’t remember anything you say, he’s just ain’t listening. Rude. Have you been at a party with him, chatting away, while he is distractedly looking at everyone else in the room bar you? If you answered yes then it’s time to call it a day and move onto other prey, erm, gentlemen. No matter how bangin’ the party is he should have eyes only for you when you’re standing directly in front of him, trying to engage him in a convo. If he excuses himself to talk to other cute girls (who aren’t his girl mates) then take it as a bad sign, a very, very bad sign.

Doesn’t return calls within 24 hours. Sometimes life gets in the way, but if he isn’t gagging to talk to you, and says that he just got really busy (keeping in mind a text takes 5 seconds), then he’s friend-zoned you. He thinks it’s no biggie, if he doesn’t get back to you or even worse, he might not be thinking of you at all. Time to Stop. The. Chase.

He never goes out of his way for you. If he doesn’t want to come to your rescue or he isn’t trying to impress the pants off you, then sorry chicks, he guys doesn’t want to date you. There needs to be a disclaimer here: if he is the kind of guy who goes out of his way for everyone then don’t taking his willingness to help you out as a good sign either – you need to see him treat you differently to how he treats every Joe Blow. Did we rain on your parade? Sorry.

He never schedules things until the last minute. Is he always waiting for a better offer? Then he really doesn’t deserve White Buffalo (i.e. amazing and super-rare good guy) status. Move on. Of course, if he works shifts that’s a different story and of course you can cut him some slack. But if a guy is into you, he will be excited to plan nice things for you to do.

If he only wants to catch up when he’s drunk, lonely or bored, then you’re not a high priority on his list. You’re his good-time gal, not long-time love.

He keeps a physical distance. A great way to gauge someone’s interest is through their body language. If you place lingering touches on him, does he reciprocate or instinctively move away? When people are into each other they want to get as much skin-on-skin contact as possible. If he unconsciously moves away or keeps a physical distance then he’s shutting you down.

He doesn’t write back. Does this really need explaining? We thought not…

He only writes back to be polite. Is he initiating messages or just responding to you? If they are short and brief, he could be trying to end the conversation or just playing nice because he’s such a nice guy. If he is texting you and initiating plans to catch up, then it’s game on!

So maybe you guys have done the deed already and you want to take it to the next level, these are the things that signal he’s not into that idea…

He’s available – at midnight. If he only wants to catch up when he’s drunk, lonely or bored, then you’re not a high priority on his list. You’re his good-time gal, not long-time love. Kick him to the curb.

Leaves you totally unsure where you stand. Are you friends who get drunk and kiss or is something "real" on the boil? If he doesn’t ever tell you how he feels about you or never suggests he wants something more, then he probably doesn’t. It’s that simple. Sure guys don’t always love to talk emotions, but if you mean something to him, trust us, he will swallow his pride and tell you what he wants.

He won’t hold your hand in public. Yeeeaaah, if he doesn’t want to advertise that you two are in any way “romantically” linked, then it’s unlikely he will be ready to show you off in the foreseeable future. You deserve better, even if he does look like R-Gos.

Did you have a Great White Buffalo? Did you get together or did you give him up?