how about normalizing dating each other solely because you like each other and refrain from the word "love" 'cause you don't feel that way yet. The word "Love" seems simple but has a great intensity. Now imagine you going out with the person you like and you've dated them for a while now so you know more about them than you did before; and you know you are falling in love with them and then one day, you are walking past an alley, holding hands of each other, talking about certain things, and it's feels so right with them that you want to confess your feelings to them ,so you stop walking and hold both of their hands, lean forward to them and whisper in their ears that you love them. That feeling which you both might be feeling then is exactly how the first "I love you" 's are supposed to be felt.
