What separates it from being friendship + sexual attraction? I have friends who I'll fool around with but wouldn't say I'm romantically involved with, but recently I realized I don't even know what that is beyond those two things lmao
Asking here instead of Reddit because I don't want R*dditors to respond
I'm trying to give an answer but damn what a question.
Romantic love comes with a deep sense of longing in my experience - like so strong it manifests physically. If the person you L-word tells you they want to hang out you might physically feel a rush of pleasure - or if they say they don't you may feel sick to your stomach. If you smell something that reminds you of the person and your brain launches off on a vivid 20 minute long fantasy session - you might be in L-word. These feelings are different than sexual attraction, but often occur at the same time.
I dunno if that's what you were looking for or not but yeah.
I've felt like that about people I distinctly don't want a romantic relationship with though
To me that sounds like young love or lust. I consider it more as trust and dependability. Someone i know I can count on and has very similar beliefs that I can count on to make decisions that I would agree with, and would back me up at all times.