We've been together for almost a year now, and every time I suggest hanging out with his friend group, he says he prefers to keep those things separate. I don't know if it's a red flag or if that's just how he is. Should I be worried?
I've had partners like that, and there are usually two scenarios: either they're genuinely people who struggle to mix their different social circles (some of us are weird like that), or there's something they don't want you to see. The difference is whether the rest of the relationship works well - if he introduces you to his family, includes you in other areas of his life, and it's just his friends who are the exception, it's probably just how he is. But if he generally keeps you separate, avoids talking about the future, or is secretive with his phone, then yeah, it'd make sense to talk to him directly about what's going on, because after almost a year you deserve clarity.
After almost a year, you should already be in that circle, so I'd say there's definitely something off there. The question is whether it's something about you, something about him, or something about your relationship itself. When did he start making excuses? From the beginning or did something change at some point? Because there's a big difference between someone who just has weird boundaries with their friends and someone who's hiding you for a reason.
Sometimes people keep things separate because they've got other romantic things going on or because their friends know something they don't want you to find out. But then there's the type who's just compartmentalized by nature and has a hard time mixing different parts of their life. What should tip you off is whether he acts normal in other ways or if there are more things where he's shutting you out.
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