I think there are as many definitions of love as there are people.
I went through this appraisal many times before Sofi and I became engaged. I felt that the big difference with my love for Sofi compared to others was that of commitment. I.e. my willingness to stay and fight for my love for her even if something came up that caused me not to want to or that made it easier to walk away.
For me saying 'I love you' to my wife means that I care about her needs/wants without a (self-oriented) agenda and am totally committed to being the best I can be for her at all times , notwithstanding my imperfections.What are the qualities of say loving someone...or being in love with someone...what is it to love another unconditionally (a word much used on dating sites)
For me it was, although like you, I never would have expected that. But I must add that I think there are various stages of love that ultimately lead to the commitment.Is it possible to fall in love on line? (I'm not convinced myself)
I would also add, loving them even when at times there is no explicit reason or encouragement to do so.For me having once in my life felt my Heart full with the presence of a woman ,not caring what we did, only wanting to bask in her presence, I would say that to love unconditionally, is to want only the best for the other. without personal agenda