What is love?

A lot of people seem to talk about love as though it is all just a ridiculous fairy tale. Now they are right about one thing. I do not believe in fairy tales. But I do believe that love is real. Just as we love our fathers and our mothers, and our sisters and our brothers, do people seriously believe that it is impossible to love another as well? Love used to be about families. You find a compatible partner you can care about and you start your own family you can love. But sometimes, the way some people talk, it is as if they truly do not wish to believe anymore. Maybe something bad happened to them before, or maybe they saw something bad happen to someone they love and it caused them to lose their faith. I have seen it.
One of my most precious friends is a young man who was once hurt and used by the young lady he loved for three years and planned to spend the rest of his life with. A year later he met me and everything seemed to fit into place. We were seeing eachother for quite a while and then it happened. He realized he was getting in to deep and he ran. We are still good friends. And although he really cares for me and he is extremely attracted to me, he will not break his oath to let another woman do to him what his first love did. We are still good friends. And although deep down I will always have that hope that he will one day heal and feel the courage to try again, I will still care for him and be there when he needs me even if it must be as a friend. As long as he remains an important part of my life that is what matters. This is how I feel. Is that not love?