Love. or Like? Part 1.

There comes a time when we wonder the most discussed word known to man.
If animals could speak our language, they too would want to express it themselves.
Love, What is love. What is the meaning of love. And have I been in it.
We all have said the word, "I love ..."
Was it to your dog, your pet fish. Maybe to your grandmother, or your sister.
Yes, you've said it to your best friend, your friend in need, the friend who you've helped in tough situations.
But even though we used it more frequently then we can think of, we never ask ourselves, do we mean it.

Remember the good ol' days of middle school and high school.
We had crushes. People we thought were attractive, funny, cute.
And from there, our crushes became someone we liked.
We mistakenly said we liked them, when in all honesty, we never really knew them.
We were interested. Compelled. Attracted. Questioning.
And from there, maybe we got lucky.
Maybe they too, like us, were interested, attracted and curious.
The very beginning of our first crush, our first experience became a relationship.
The times we would talk for hours on the phone to rant about homework and gossip.
But wait, didn't we do that with our friends?
What was the difference? The word girlfriend, boyfriend, maybe?
As the times passed, we waited longer and longer until we couldn't wait no more.
It was the sixth month of the relationship, and finally one caves in.
The L bomb is dropped and all is not well.
We didn't love them, we only like them.

Have you ever told someone you loved them, who wasn't someone other than your relatives or anyone living under your roof.
If your adult about it, you can admit it.
It wasn't easy.
We've said to people we regret.
We've said it to people we didn't mean it for.
So the question is, what is the difference between like and love?
How do you know what is appropriate.

I knew this girl once. For name sakes, let's just call her B.
B. was everything I never expected.
From the time we first met, there was something there.
Something mysterious, something curious.
So as curiosity grew, so did attraction.
And as it goes in human nature, attraction if enough time spent,
turns into liking.
We watched movies, went for drives, walked in places.
We talked on the phone, through Myspace, and Instant Messenger.
As the relationship grew, so did our feelings.
When you like someone, it's this feeling you get where you want to spend every
second of every minute with them.
When you like someone, you hope they're free when you are, so you can spend it learning about them.
You see, if rightfully attracted, you'll notice every miniature thing about them.
Their smile, their laugh. The way they talk. The way they walk.
The attitude they yell, The feelings they express.
When you have someone significant, you see the difference between you,
And you see the difference between another friend.
It's different.
Every action they have with them is similar with you.
But you, you have the cherry on top.
You have the extra mile, the bigger smile.
The upper hand if you will.
Like, is something or someone you enjoy being around, or having in your life.
Love, is something or someone you need in your life.

And as the relationship grew, the more and more time I would sacrifice for her.
It wasn't because B. asked me too.
It was because I wanted to, and I knew B. enjoyed it.
But you ask, isn't that the story of relationships?
Yes, and no.
I had relationships come and go, before and after B.
But her as a person, was just simply put, on another level than the rest.
We've liked hundreds of thousands of people.
But only a select few are ever loved.
What separates the person from the rest isn't easy to explain.
You see, like you, I was in the boat of saying it because I thought I felt it.
I was in the boat of expressing the word love because I saw friends do it.
I saw myself portray the media, action for action, and drop the L bomb
just because the media said it was okay.
Like times before, I never felt it, I only said it to say it.
Kind of like, "As Seen on TV."
This girl was more than that.
No girl ever made me that happy.

Love, has this funny thing about it, where you think you feel it but you're not sure.
We've had relationships like that before, kind of like the borderline.
Is it like or is it love?
Did I really like B, or did I love her?
Liking someone is easy. Getting someone to like you takes some work.
When you think about someone you like, you smile and giggle because the day dreams you have are what can happen.
When you think about a person you love, you smile because the day dreams you have, is what's happening.
I loved b. For more than who she was.
I loved b. For not just her little actions and habits.
I loved b. Because no one cared about me more than she.
I loved b. Because the way she made me feel.
I loved b. Because she changed my worlds in more ways than one.
And that is why I did what I did.
And why I do what I do.

Like is knowing them, their character, their personality. Their favorites, their likes.
Love is knowing them better than themselves. Love is knowing what they will like, what food they rather have, what vacation they rather go on.
Like is when you take footsteps and they person may or may not follow.
Love is when you take footsteps and the person is next to you, regardless.
Like is them having a choice of taking the same route as you,
Love is them not wanting a choice, taking the same route as you.
Like, is this feeling you get when you see them.
Love is the feeling you get when you don't see them.

To Be Continued.