I'm not sure if I'm in love with my friend or not. We hang out a lot because we work together at the same university. My feelings developed over many months, and it took us a long time to fit with each other as we do now. I don't find him perfect; I sometimes don't like his behavior, especially when we are with other people. However, I want to be with him a lot: I imagine going on holiday with him and doing things together.
We do have physical contact sometimes – just things like touching arms. I appreciate that and have deep affection for him. So I wonder if this could be love or if I am mistaking great friendship for love just because he is a guy. I do not know whether he is a friend, almost like a brother, or more than that.
The key question is: Would you want this to become sexual? If the answer is yes, then think about what might be holding you back.