On Not Saying "I Love You"

I've been in a relationship with my guy for just about a year and luckily, things are going great. He's out of town a lot which is great because I like having me time and family time. However, according to a friend (and a couple articles) something is probably missing. In fact, it's three little somethings. Little words. Three.

This is not an issue for me. For the seven years prior to him, the only people I loved were my family and a couple friends. In fact, in my 13 years of playing (and sometimes not playing) the dating game, I've only told one guy that I loved him. The worst part is that I feel 1000 times stronger about the man I'm with, but much more cautious than when –teen was in my age.

I think I'm at a breaking point though. Every so often he'll throw the "L" word out there to see how I react ("Aww, you won't bake me a pie?! You don't love me!" he jokingly said) but I don't bite. I don't go one way or the other. He never says anything outright about it, but he seems disheartened. Poll: When Do You Say "I Love You"

So, I sat down to think about why I can't say it. I thought really hard and then I thought some more. I remember how my dad "loved" my mom and us children, with cruel words, physical pain, and the occasional vacation. I thought about how my friends Jessie* and Mark* love each other by fighting in front of their children and seeing who can throw a lamp/chair/anything farther. I thought about how our politicians "love" their wives vicariously through the body of another woman. When it (and the beer) was over, I understood. What We Learn From Gov. Sanford's Love Emails

I have no problem telling him that I love him. I simply don't want to be loved in the way I've come to understand that love is shown. It's not that I think he'd treat me poorly (he's always treated me like royalty), but I simply don't see romantic love in the way that he sees it. I feel like our relationship is awesome just like it is and I could date him forever, but I know that he wants to get married and move in together and travel, and seriously, the "L" word would almost certainly be expected at some point, like yesterday. What To Do If Your Partner Doesn't Believe In Marriage

I simply don't see me changing any time soon and I'm thinking that it's probably unfair to him (even though I warned him of this in the beginning) because most people want or need that type of validation this far into a relationship. Isn't there any other way to get the point across without relying on three overused, underappreciated, antiquated, and clichéd words? 25 Ways To Say "I Love You" Without Words