love is a bunch of emotions mixed up - there's a big component of trust, i dont think you really love someone unless you're willing to let them see all of you, in the sense that we all have good and bad traits, but we kinda tend to mask the bad things most of the time. you wouldnt be afraid to let someone you love know that you're a lil jealous, a lil dorky, and that you at one point listened to and liked the spice girls - all those things you hide in every day life... plus the obvious really liking them as a person and such. still, i think you can have platonic love.
being in love is when you have all the love stuff but also want to seks them. i think you can only be in love when it's two way really. but that's just me.
i have a question as well - i have this really really close friend, i love her heaps and heaps, and lately i've found myself wanting to kiss her - but not really as a sexual thing, like i dont perve on her, i dont particularly want to have sex with her (i wouldnt say no...but that's cos i'm desperate, not cos i want her bad lol). i think it's just i want to physically express my affection for her, but i dunno. i'm confused. anyone been in a similar situation where you want to kiss a close friend but dont actually want them as anything more than a friend? (sorry it's off topic)