New account because my main can easily be tied to me.
I have been seeing this guy for a month now (we’re both in our mid-twenties) & honestly he’s amazing. He’s kind, sweet, respectful, emotionally available, he makes me feel safe, he compliments me, he makes an effort to see me, he pays attention to me, & makes sure I get home safe. Basically he’s the kind of guy I always said I wanted & he treats me like gold.
The problem is that he has really bad breath. It’s not just a one time thing after coffee or food, it’s constant. I’ve tried offering gum & mints when we’re together which helps a tiny bit but not much. When he talks close to me or tries to kiss me, it’s so hard for me to enjoy it because the smell is strong & honestly it makes me pull away. I even find myself making excuses to sit further from him or hold my breath which makes me feel awful because I really do like him.
I can tell he’s falling for me & I don’t want to break his heart. He deserves someone who loves him back fully, but this one issue is such a big deal for me that I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to bring it up without completely crushing him because he’s such a sweetheart. At the same time I know I can’t ignore it forever.
Has anyone ever been in this situation? How do you even tell someone their breath smells without hurting them? Is there a way to be kind about it? I want to give this relationship a chance but this is a really big hurdle for me. Please help me 😭
TLDR: I’m dating a really sweet guy who treats me amazingly, but his constant bad breath makes it hard for me to enjoy being close to him. I don’t know how to bring it up without hurting him & I need advice.