I love my boyfriend, but his breath is currently testing the "for better or for worse" part of our relationship
I’ve(23F) been with him(25M) for a while now and I’m obsessed with him, but lately, his breath has become a genuine hurdle. It’s not just a "morning breath" situation; it’s an all-day, every-day kind of thing. He’s otherwise a super clean guy, so I don't think he’s being lazy, he just seems totally oblivious to the fact that he's breathing fire.
I’m a massive people pleaser, so instead of being an adult and telling him, I’ve just been aggressively offering him gum every twenty minutes like a weirdo. I’ve even started doing the "slow lean back" when he comes in for a kiss, and I hate it because I don't want to hurt his feelings or make him feel "gross." If someone told me my breath was bad, I’d probably want to disappear, so I’m trying to avoid doing that to him.
Has anyone successfully navigated this without it becoming a core memory of shame for their partner? How do I bring it up without making him want to never open his mouth around me again? I’m running out of gum and excuses!