I'm worried my Nmom trauma will lead me to unsuspectingly date a narcissist

Because of my mom I am literally paranoid about unsuspectingly getting into a relationship with a narcissist even though I've learned a lot in recent years about recognizing red flags.I don't know how to strike a balance between overanalyzing everything a potential partner does and being reasonably cautious. For context, I posted earlier about meeting someone I like recently and I think they're a decent person, but because of the trauma of my upbringing I keep going back and forth wondering if he's really actually nice or if it's just an act. I know what lovebombing looks like based on my mom's behavior and that of a toxic situationship of mine from several years ago (that in retrospect I got into because of my experience with my mom) so I know it's different from genuine interest. But I also have OCD so I can't stop second-guessing the interactions I've had with him so far?

I think I just want outside reassurance that my instincts that he's a good person are correct, since if someone is "off" I tend to detect it pretty quickly. I haven't gotten sus vibes from him for now and so far I've felt really comfortable around him. If I give a rundown of some of our interactions so far could people weigh in on what they think? I'd really appreciate it:

-We met at church last week after bumping into each other. He was new there and asked about the service schedule. I introduced myself and we talked for a little bit, and then afterwards he asked for my number so we could keep in touch

-I didn't hear from him until later in the week when he asked if I would be back at church again the next Sunday at the same time. I said yes so we planned to meet up again. He also asked if there were any cafes in the area where he could get coffee after, so I listed a few, and then he invited me to tag along if I wanted (which I took to be a roundabout way of asking me out without being too pushy). I said sure, so he let me pick the place. He also texted (with a smiley face) that he wanted to sit next to me in church this time since we hadn't met yet last time and were sitting in different pews

-We met up at church again and he complimented my dress and my singing

-Afterwards he walked me to my car and then we met up again to get food. He paid for everything and then we talked for awhile while eating. He rambles a lot and sometimes interrupts when he gets really absorbed in the conversation but he has ADHD so it didn't really bother me since I'm pursuing a diagnosis myself and I'm guilty of the same conversational hiccups myself. When it was my turn to talk he was very attentive and seemed genuinely interested in learning more about me

-We then went to get ice cream where he paid again, and while we were at the ice cream place I dropped some on my shoe. He ran to get a napkin and wiped it off for me. Then we talked some more, and at the end he asked me if I wanted to meet up for a movie later in the week. I said yes, and then we left and he walked me back to my car again

-I texted him when I got home to make sure he'd gotten home okay and then we joked around a little via text before I assume he went to sleep

Overall he was really easy to talk to and despite the rambling he was a very good listener and pretty non-judgmental. I felt at ease with him, but I've been really unlucky in love so I guess I'm just not used to the attention? Like I'm wondering if the unfamiliarity of the feeling is making me overthink things and freak out wondering if it's an appropriate level of attention or interest or not. He hasn't texted me back about the movie yet but this is a repeat of last week where he didn't get back to me until a day or two before we were supposed to meet up again so I'm thinking he's both busy with work but also not wanting to come on too strong, which might be a good sign because he's not acting too invasive. He also let me pick the movie. He hasn't said anything too intense like how he's crazy about me or future faking or anything like that. Idk I think I'm driving myself insane with paranoia because I really didn't get any bad vibes from him and I just want to stop ruminating and worrying that I have blinders on. I really like him and I want to keep hanging out with him for now to see where it goes

Posted Jul 9, 2025, 11:21 PM UTC

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