I would like to start by saying I am a 24 year old man, and I am having trouble trusting that my girlfriend loves me. Now, for a little background.I know part of my issues stem from the fact that I was frustrated as a child that my father only told me he loved me a handful of times. Nearly all of my girlfriends have either cheated on me or left me for other guys. My ex-fiance used to tell me she loved me everyday, and often multiple times each day. When she met someone else and ended our relationship, she told me she never really loved me but was in love with the idea of being in love. My last girlfriend used to say she loved me frequently, but she suddenly stopped speaking with me and spending time with me. I later found out she'd been with someone else the entire time she was with me.My current girlfriend was with someone when I met her. I've basically had feelings for her from the start, but I didn't say anything until I'd known her for seven months. I never asked her to leave her boyfriend for me, nor did I want her to. I've been on the other end of that and would never wish that on someone else, even though he didn't treat her very well. I told her I respected her relationship and I wouldn't cross the line of friendship, I just wanted her to know how I felt. Anyway, about a month later, he called her and said he wasn't happy in their relationship and broke up with her. That was back in May. In August, I was thinking about moving on and dating someone else. Before I did so, I asked her how she felt about me, and she told me she thought she was falling in love with me. Unfortunately, she also said she wasn't ready to be in a relationship again after being hurt by her last boyfriend and having that relationship end abruptly. Basically, she was afraid I'd hurt her like he did. Once she was over that, she was afraid she'd hurt me. Things got a bit frustrating for a while, but we finally worked it out so we were both comfortable being in a relationship. We've been together a little over a week now, and last night I told her I'm having issues trusting that she loves me. She doesn't say it very often. She would say it spontaneously and a couple times a night back in August when she first told me how she felt. Then she went a month without saying it. It has now been a week since she last said it, and I had to let her know it was bothering me before she said it last week. I say it all the time, and her response is usually "I know" or "Thank you." She feels that she shouldn't have to tell me if I already know. How do I trust that she loves me and not need her to tell me all the time?
