to like someone

During a conversation, a friend said something like, "I don't hate you. I mean, not that I like you either."
And for those few seconds before he explained this I looked at him thinking, "Seriously dude, WTF! We've known each other since the beginning of this year, and you mayn't need to like me as someone who works with you. But we are friends and am pretty sure friends like each other!" And all this time I was trying not to look hurt!
Then he said, "What I meant was that I don't like you in that way. I don't like like you. I just like you"

That repeated work which gives the whole liking process a new meaning. Now when in school and having a crush was well, kind of embarrassing, we would say, "Oh! I like him." And our friends would ask, "Oooh! Do you like like him?"

Now you can like people, or you can like like them. Of course to like someone is to tolerate them, to give them the time of your day. To enjoy and even look forward to their company. That is to plain old like someone. To like like someone (or like someone- yes italicized and bold!) is to wait for them to make an appearance, or blush when someone mentions their name. Wait, do young adults blush at the mention of a name?!? Anyway, you get what I mean, how liking someone is different from liking someone.

Then there's that four letter word that can bring people together or make one run away from the other. The four letters that are worse than all those four letter swear words; the ones beeped out when said, and starred out! Love!

Now just like you can like someone and like someone, you can love someone and love someone. So love will make you want them near you, make you want to spend all your time with them. To love is to want them, and its the people you need with you when things start to fall apart. Then there's that butterflies in the stomach love that makes you stumble over your words and makes a million thoughts and emotions run through you when you see them. You are nervous, and anxious, scared, afraid, happy, excited! Its that feeling of craving potato wedges, ordering them and fearing that these potato wedges would be so bad they would scar you for life. And yes, I did just compare love to potato wedges, but hello! Potato wedges are awesome!

So we go through life, liking and liking and loving and loving. And on and on, until there is no one else to like or love or whatever.

“NO. No no no. I don't want to screw you. I just love you. When did who you want to screw become the whole game? Since when is the person you want to screw the only person you get to love? It's so stupid, Tiny! I mean, Jesus, who even gives a fuck about sex?! People act like it's the most important thing humans do, but come on. How can our sentient fucking lives revolve around something slugs can do. I mean, who you want to screw and whether you screw them? Those are important questions, I guess. But they're not that important. You know what's important? Who would you die for? Who do you wake up at five forty-five in the morning for even though you don't even know why he needs you? Whose drunken nose would you pick?!”
― John Green, Will Grayson, Will Grayson

The following is a slightly non-related quote but I love the book and hey! Quotes are awesome.

“You like someone who can't like you back because unrequited love can be survived in a way that once-requited love cannot. ”
― John Green, Will Grayson, Will Grayson