I have been in love with Ben since the day I laid eyes on him. His messy hair, stained t-shirt, and dirty jeans from work were all it took to have me hooked. Well, maybe not literally, but in addition to the way he looked the first day I met him, there were so many other things that I fell in love with.

We have been off and on for two years come October and although we've thrown out the L-word at each other before, it's not a word that we use often, if at all anymore.

And I am OK with this.

I am so okay with him not saying he loves me because actions speak louder than words and his actions alone prove to me every day that he does love me.

I'm never questioning if I'm loved by him, even though he doesn't directly say he does because of the way he treats me. From making sure I get enough sleep to taking me out on dates to my favorite places in town, there are so many green flags and positive signals that prove to me he loves me.

I tell him that I love him in addition to the things I do to try and show him how much I love him.

He doesn't say it back, and I know you're thinking he doesn't say it because he doesn't love me, but trust me, he does.

But, I've never been so sure of someone's love for me (except for JC) until now. The way that he holds me when I sleep, the way that he looks at me, talks about me, and listens to me are just a few of the small things that he does to express his feelings for me in a non-verbal way.

I believe that you don't have to tell someone you love them every day in order for them to know that you love them.

If you are acting the right way and doing things the right way your partner won't have to have the constant reassurance that you love them, they'll just know. Although sometimes I wish he'd say that he loves me, the things he does outweigh the cost of hearing those three words, always. I know I am appreciated and cherished and he knows that I love him and that he's loved. In a relationship, it's what you feel and how you express how you feel that matters in the end.

I think that there can be a great pressure from society to blurt out the L-word early on in relationships, but as I've said before, actions speak louder than words and those actions, to me, will always outweigh meaningless words. Because sometimes, when you know someone loves you, you just know.