Valentine's Day round the corner: 15 definite signs you are in love

If the universe allows you to fall in love with someone without any doubts and fears, it has bestowed upon you its greatest gifts. Most of the time, however, it can be a bit tricky to decipher if it is mere infatuation or love. With Valentine's Day around the corner, here are a few tricks to help you decide:

1. For a while now, the first person you think of when you wake up is him. In all probability the last person you thought of when you went to bed was also him. And you probably dreamt of him too. Do I even need to tell you that you love him?

2. You catch yourself daydreaming about him a lot. During meeting at work, someone is going on and on about something on ROI, but you have already travelled to the weekend gone by when you bumped into him in the elevator. His eyes? Or was it his smile? Or and most importantly, the way he made you feel? Or was it all just an excuse to think more about him?

3. You realise you have changed. You, the perennial party girl, suddenly begin to feel listless and wander away from where the action is. You sit in a little corner in the darkness, possibly with a drink in hand as the faint strains of the music reach you. You pull out your phone and check your messages. Nothing from him. You open Twitter. Nothing from him. Then you stalk him on WhatsApp, he was online five minutes back and has read the last message you sent to him. You desperately want to message him... yet you don't. Sounds familiar? News flash: you do fancy him.

Or,

If he is at a party, you, who is always the first one to leave, stay back even if you only eye him from a distance. There is so much at the party you want to see, you reason to yourself. However, as soon as he leaves, the "so much" turns to dust, you feel exhausted and miss the bed you should have been in two hours back. Stop lying to yourself.

However, this is tricky territory. You can change your ways if it is just a crush too. Give it some thought. Does he make you feel complete? Do you want nothing when you are with him? If the answer is a yes, then you love him!

4. You find ways to bring him into every conversation. Housing market crash - well, you know Ritesh bought this house. Veg biryani? Well, Ritesh's mum makes the most amazing biryani. Dog poop - well, to be honest, the only reason someone like Ritesh may not like dogs is...

5. Time spent with him is never enough. He has just left your house and you are missing him already. Call him and don't ask him about some trivial thing from work. Tell him you had a lovely time with him and would like to meet again soon. Do that even if you think this is something the guy should do.

6. You want to become a better person for him. You want him to be proud of you and are ready to keep your anger in control, be less of an introvert, be kinder, be gentler or less of whatever it is that you know to be your weakness. He makes you want to be a better you and how wonderful is that?

7. You often catch yourself gazing at him. You may try hard not to, but you fail spectacularly so very often. Stop fighting this.

8. When you know you can comfortably share the ugliest and most unpleasant things about yourself with him without any fear of being judged, you know you have found a keeper. However, this can be the case with a close friend too. The difference between the two is very stark and I think girls just know when a friend is a friend and when a friend is lot more than a friend. Trust your instinct.

9. He begins to feel like home.

10. After a long, hard day at work all you want is to be in his arms.

11. You can feel what he is feeling, see what he is seeing and understand his thoughts. This is what happens when two souls become one and is the most beautiful part of being in love.

12. When things go wrong in his life and you realise that it has hurt you as much as it has hurt him, you can know for sure that you love him.

13. When all you want is for him to be happy, whatever the cost and are willing to go to lengths to make it happen for him, you know you are in love.

14. You make all the effort you can to get along with people who are important to him just because they are important to him. This is because you know this will give him happiness and you are ready to do what it takes. This is the beauty of love.

15. If you have looked at his smile and thought to yourself that that is the most beautiful smile in the world, you are in love.

Having said all this, do you know what the litmus test for love is? If there is one person you have been thinking of as you read through these 15 points, ask yourself the question. You probably already know it somewhere inside you, but I will say it for you: You love him.

Happy Valentine's Day.