Back to the topic at hand....

I think trust is a two-way street. Whenever you start a new relationship, you have to take a certain leap of faith and put a certain amount of trust in the other person. After that it becomes a bit of a wait and see situation... it just takes time for that trust level to increase.

When it comes to building trust, for me it is about consistancy. Do what you say you are going to do. Be where you say you are going. Be open and honest with each other, and don't try to hide anything.

We do all bring in our own baggage into any relationship. Some of us may have issues trusting others due to betrayals we have had in our pasts. Some others may have issues around being trusted. You have to determine for yourself if a relationship is worthwhile working though things.

That being said, I don't think trust can be asked for, and I definitely don't think it can be demanded. It has to be built.

Due to my own past, I tend to be fairly suspicious of new people. I give them a basic level of trust, but am usually waiting for the other shoe to drop. When Master and I first started seeing each other, there were other outside reasons as well that made me nervous. But he waited me out. He never had to do anything specific to "prove" his trustworthiness or anything, he was just consistant. He called when he said he would. He was there when I needed him. And he always told me the truth.

We now have a very high level of trust between us, but every once in a while my little voice of doubt will creep in again. He always calls me on it, and manages to show me how silly I am being. But he never gets upset about it, it is just something we talk about and move on.