the L word

One of my good friends has fallen in like.  I can't say in love because I don't want to speak for her, and it's a fairly new relationship.

I like the expression 'falling in like''.  To me it sounds like a good combination of pretty romantic, just a little wreckless and a fair dose of sensible.  It implies being generous with emotions but without total abandon.  A kind of 'we might get there but it's going to be a good journey' kind of feeling.

When I was a teenager we all talked about 'liking' and everyone knew that this went beyond the i-like-you-because-you-are-my-friend kind of like.  It said, I'm interested in you.

As sensible relationship-savvy adults I think we know the difference between friend-like and potential-partner like.  But even that can be a scary place to start.  What if they don't like me back in that way?  What if it turns out I'm not really attracted to them after all?  What if I fall in love!?

The modern version of like - being into someone - well it all sounds a bit base to me.  A bit shallow. A bit transient perhaps.    Yes it's just a word, a modern expression, but surely we could come up with something a bit classier?

And in an age where relationships often start with the physical and then progress to the emotional, the old fashioned concept of getting to know someone and actually getting to like them (dare I say, as a friend...) is starting to hold appeal for me.

I read somewhere that you can't fall in to something unless you stretch out and look over into it.  To me, like seems like a pretty good place to start looking.