In every long-term relationship you reach the point when one of you drops the L Bomb. (For those of you who aren’t down with the lingo, the L Bomb means saying “I love you”.) This can be a very special moment or a very awkward one, depending on whether or not both partners are ready to say those 3 little words. So what are you supposed to do if you take the initiative; go out on a limb; pour out your feelings to the person you love…and he isn’t ready to reciprocate? Ugh. Just thinking about it makes me cringe. In this situation, so many conflicting emotions come into play: you don’t want your partner to say something he doesn’t really mean, but you also don’t want to be rejected. Saying “I love you” takes a lot of courage, and hearing a “…I’m sorry…I’m not ready to say it yet…” after mustering up all of that energy feels like having the wind knocked out of you. But don’t have an internal melt down! The key word is “yet”. Realistically, two people don’t always fall in love at the same time. It hurts knowing that you are alone in your feelings. But by telling your partner you love him, you may be giving him the boost of confidence he needs to take that extra step. Often, people’s insecurities cause them to withhold or monitor their emotions as a means of protection. (Letting yourself fall means making yourself emotionally vulnerable to the person you love, which is scary!) The knowledge that someone else truly does love them can help emotionally withdrawn partners come out of their shells. This is not to say that every partner unable to say “I love you” is emotionally withdrawn. It may be that he truly does not love you back. But regardless of why the words won’t come, just give it time. Be proud and happy that you have these feelings right now and were able to express them, and give your partner the patience and support he needs. Pretty soon, he’ll be saying “I love you” too. *Browsing around, I found a website that shows you how “I love you” is said in a bunch of different languages! Check it out: http://www.worldpath.net/~hiker/iloveyou.html
