Friendships don’t come with receipts, but most of us keep a quiet tally anyway.

One teen had spent four years being the kind of friend who remembers birthdays and shows up with something thoughtful, because giving gifts is how he shows he cares.

His latest present for his close friend cost about $150 and was something the friend had wanted for ages.

He told himself he wasn’t expecting anything back, but a small part of him hoped it would finally inspire a gesture in return.

Instead, that same friend went out and bought presents for two other people, and the teen was left out once again.

Now he’s torn between staying quiet and asking why.

Keep reading for the full story.

WIBTAH for asking my friend of 4 years why he’s never gotten me a birthday gift?

I (17M) have been friends with this guy, let’s call him Moss (16M), for around 4 years now.

I consider him a close friend of mine, although I’m starting to question whether he feels the same way.

There’s one thing really bothering him about their friendship.

For context, I usually get him a relatively nice (and sometimes pricey) birthday gift every year, as gift giving is my main love language.

I don’t give gifts with the expectation of receiving anything in return, but what confuses me is that Moss has gotten birthday gifts for pretty much every other friend of his except me.

Regardless, he’s continued to be generous with his friend.

Recently, I got him something he’d been wanting for quite a while.

It was fairly expensive, costing around $150, and I’ll admit that I think I subconsciously hoped he’d eventually reciprocate the gesture.

He thought this would finally get his friend to notice his effort.

I figured that maybe getting him something a little more expensive would make him consider getting me something for my birthday as well.

However, that wasn’t the case.

His friend made it clear he was capable of doing nice things for other people.

Not even 5 months later, he ended up buying gifts for two of his other friends, which left me feeling pretty conflicted.

I don’t want to come across as entitled or as though I expect people to spend money on me just because I spend money on them.

This is really starting to hurt his feelings.

At the same time, I can’t help but feel a little left out, especially when I know he’s perfectly capable of getting gifts for his other friends.

So, WIBTAH if I asked him why he’s never gotten me anything for my birthday?

This does sound a little hurtful.

What did Reddit have to say?

This user wonders why he’s still putting in so much effort when his friend clearly isn’t.

Maybe the gifts just need to come to an end.

Perhaps it’s the money that’s the issue here.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a dad who can’t understand why his son can sleep in now that he’s not commuting to the office.

It may be time to reexamine his expectations.

Feeling hurt after four years of one-way gifts is normal, and ultimately wishing for a little reciprocity doesn’t make anyone greedy.

But what matters the most is how he chooses to handle this disappointment.

If he talks to his friend, he should keep it light and honest and focus on feeling left out. If the answer is a shrug, it’ll still tell him everything he needs to know about the friendship.

Friendships need reciprocity to thrive.