I hear ya. I've been single the past, mmmmmm, uh, since two decembers ago. A year and a half, And it's been GREAT! it's exactly as you say. And plus I really haven't found anyone i like since then. I live in a small town and I already know/have dated everyone. that or they know me and when they KNOW you you're in the "friend zone." I don't know what ONS is, but i guess it's like HARD ONS?

OH! it's "one night stands" isn't it? I don't have those. (ONS, not HARD ONS) If i ever found a good relationship that felt right I'd not pass it by.

Madedog, I commend you on taking action on it rather than just let it go. As all of us guys know, it takes tremendous courage to ask a girl out, especially if she's someone you care a lot for.

However, having been there and done that, I can tell you that you are in fact *not* in love, but you are infatuated with her. This doesn't mean that you won't fall in love with her later, but all the symptoms and signs you've described make me conclude that you're simply infatuated.

Now, don't get me wrong. Infatuation is a powerful thing. In fact, it can burn brighter and hotter than real love, but by definition, it's not everlasting. It's relatively short-lived (which means less than a year).

You're still young, she's still young, so I see no harm in dating her. I don't think much of the age difference. Seventeen and thirteen isn't that big of a deal. It sounds like you have plenty of respect for her, and that's a good start.

I've been infatuated with many girls in my life, but when you really fall in love, you'll know right away that it's different from infatuation. It's hard to explain, but I promise you that you'll realize it when it happens to you.

Infatuation can feel a lot like love at first, but stronger. Love is more like a gentle warmth instead of sizzling heat.

Good luck to you with her.

Well, it may be love after all. Only time will tell. But love and infatuation are definitely not exclusive. In fact, infatuation is frequently the precursor to true love.

From Wikipedia:

But take things slowly (not total inaction, of course). And letting her know of your feeling is one important step. I think people tend to play games too much, afraid to reveal how they really feel about one another.

Honesty is much appreciated in today's world, and I think she'll appreciate that from you. You've got nothing to lose by telling her, but you've got everything to lose by not telling.

So go for it. Godspeed to you.

Is Estonia a spin-off of the soviet union? why do they use Latin alphabet? I mean, I hav never seen so many double letters in my life. "haar klaar diir raajjiit." it's like they all have palsy over there. JK

I don't want you to get the wrong impression, I DO wish you luck. and the possibility of a painful breakup is no reason to avoid relationships. I hope you guys have everything you ever wanted. But it takes wanting the same thing to make it work for good.

So if you find out that you want different things out of life, just lie to her until you can marry her, then make her do all the chores and stuff. I don't beleive in true love anymore, so that's MY plan!!