ahhh tough one.... maybe just give it time?
though it looks like you are...
I guess you don't have too many options....I mean, its not like you're going to leave him over one little word.
I'm not sure if it even needs to be said, if it IS that obvious he loves you... then just enjoy the ride, there are so few flawless relationships and if yours is that great than dont let semantics (sp?) (is that that right word?) Bring you down.
Otherwise...
Hold off hunni, he'll come around. Guys suck with emotional talks... I think for some guys thats the hardest thing to say to a girl.

just like Ksinducs said, give it time. Guys really do have a hard time expressing emotions at times. I figure women tend to make the first "I love you" gesture, but I think I actually made that move first. Every guy's different. The fact that he said he wasn't ready to say it yet may mean he has his guard up a bit is a bit afraid of being vulnerable. You don't want to force an I love you unless he really means it, nothing's worse than an I love you lie. If he's really crazy about you (and if it's more than just physical attraction), he probably really does love you, just is scared to say it, or admit it, or seem vulnerable.

Give him time. You said that he said that he just wasn't ready yet. You also said that he said he will say it. Don't interpret this as him not loving you. In a round about way he has already told you he loves you but not in the exact words you want to hear. Also actions do speak louder than words. So don't make a big deal out of this. He's proably waiting for a certain/right moment. If this is his first relationship he may be scared. Be patient, he will come around.

The problem is, you're not on the same page. It's time to face that reality. Love should not leave you feeling confused. If you want to stay in this relationship, fine, but please be honest with yourself that he's not feeling the same way you are, at least not right now.

I dont think its wrong at all. I kinda think the other ways we "say it" or show it are better than saying the actual L word...like, when we tell each other how much we like them, or we like this about them, etc. etc.

I feel like the little ways we break it down and actually describe our feelings for a person are SO much better than the L word. Its kinda like, its so much easier to say I love you than it is to actually go into detail and describe how them being in our lives impacts us and makes us happier...

I know you're young, so you prob would rather have the actual L word more than anything else, but as you grow older you'll realize its just a word, and its kind of taking the easy way out to express feelings. Like, I could say I love you to a million people and never mean it, but I could only do certain things and say certain things to that one person whom I actually do love.

I would ignore anyone who tells you otherwise.

i know a couple that's been together for four years & the girl won't say i love you, even though (from the outside at least) they appear to have a really strong, healthy relationship. she says it's because her family never says it, so she doens't feel comfortable expressing herself that way. sooo, it might not happen for a while, but him not saying those specific words shouldn't overshadow how he treats you. if he shows you that he loves you rather than saying it, stick it out.

i got out of a similar situation about 4 months ago. i had been with my boyfriend for about a year... and had grown increasingly frustrated that he hadn't said "I LOVE YOU". To me, it just felt unnatural for us to be together that long, yet not say those words to each other. By that time, I was completely sure that I loved him, so I finally told him how I felt. He had a reaction similar to your boyfriend's. He said he was flattered, but he still wasn't able to say it back. It really hurt me, because it made me feel that we weren't on the same page. I had fallen head over heels for him, and now it was obvious that he didn't feel the same way. He had a hard time expressing his emotions throughout our relationship, and I had a real hard time shaking this. I started to feel like I was wasting my time... I mean, if he didn't even love me after a YEAR... how long was I supposed to wait around? I eventually want to get married and have children, and I don't want to waste my 20s on some guy that won't ever emotionally commit. So, needless to say, things were strained between us... but nevertheless, I loved him and we both were trying to work through our problems. Then... a couple of weeks later- I found out he had been cheating on me for the past three months! That was it, i kicked him out and we haven't spoken since. I'm not saying his cheating was the reason he never said I LOVE YOU... i'm just saying looking back- his not saying those words WAS a red flag. Now- four months have passed and I've just started seeing someone new. He's great... life works out the way it's supposed to! GOOD LUCK!!

I feel for you, I'd be feeling really insecure and vulnerable too. Yet, read your post again and you'll see how it sounds like you two are very happy together, and all crazy about each other. He may come from a family that isn't very generous with words of love, and therefore feels uncomfortable expressing his affection outloud. But his actions speak very loud, and as long as they do, you can be reassured that THEY are what matters most. A lot of guys will tell you they love you and not mean it and act like jerks. So... he's a bit "I love you - constipated"? No big deal, I think.

My little brother who is the nicest guy in the world has a lot of trouble expressing his emotions too. When we speak on the phone, I feel like I'm talking to someone I've never met. He rarely says he loves me, rarely gives me hugs, and when I try, his body tenses up like I'm about to give him dental surgery. Yet, he's my brother and I know he adores me. It's much easier to be okay with it when it's a relative - in a romantic relationship, we feel very insecure! Imagine for a bit that your BF is your brother... would you feel like he loves you? Would it be okay that he hasn't felt comfortable saying it yet? I'm sure it would.

Give it a rest, and it's okay for you to keep telling him that you love him every now and then. It will make him more comfortable with the words.

Relax, girl! My boyfriend told me he loved me less than 6 months or so into our relationship. I did NOT reciprocate the sentiment and actually, i completely refuted it and told him he should rethink. ANYWAY, after just over more than two years (on and off), we are now back together and I am completely in love - - and yes, i told him, but it took me 2 years to get here!! Give that boy some time!!

It's been a year. He should know by now.
I know I'm in the minority here, but eventually the insecurity is going to eat you up no matter how he treats you because he can't return this emotional affirmation.
If you're not happy in the relationship because he's not giving you emotional fulfillment, then it's not the right relationship for you.
Think about it. Tell him again and ask him again. You'll know better how you feel and if you see a future with him after that.

You didn't say how old you boyfriend was, but I am assuming he is your age.

I think for many guys, saying "I love you" takes the relationship to a different level they are not ready for. They think it brings expectations on the woman's part that they are not ready to face....i.e., ok now we've said I love you, what is the next step..living together? Marriage down the road? Forever commitment with no other woman to date? I think it is that more than anything else that keeps guys from saying it. They like the status quo, and don't wan't to "ruin" it. They also want to keep their options open.

I know that sounds immature, but we are talking men here. If your expectation right now is forever, I think you are with the wrong guy. If your expectation is to enjoy the relationship and learn about yourself and not stress about the future, just relax and have fun.. only you know what you want.

welcome to my world... My guy said I love you.... Christmas time last year right after he gav my this beautiful necklace from Tiffany's and Co. I was at my most vulnerable but it was right after we made love.... and then come New Years he denies he said it. Then come valentines day... he admits he said it, but then says he didn't know why he said it b/c it was such a big step and he wasn't ready for it? No one asked him to say it in the first place. I would rather him have never said it in the first place to say it then deny it then admit it and take it back. I can't understand men. But I agree it's just immaturity.

You're VERY young, and I'd just chill out a bit. You can't rely on the fact that he said he'd tell you b/c he may have lost those initial feelings and it will never come. This tends to happen if the girl is younger and more clingy or dependent on the man. That being said, he my also just not be ready to say it yet. You should know how to judge this behavior since you've been with him for a year. If you know him and his family well, can you tell if it's something that's usual for the family (not to be too emotionally vulnerable) or is it indicative of something more just between you two. If you begin to really get anxious about him not telling you, I fear it won't help out the relationship much and you'll end up turning him away.

You have to decide what is more meaningful to you. A wonderful relationship where love is shown but not verbally confirmed by the other partner, or replacing him with someone that will give you those words and not necessarily mean them. That decision will show you (1) what he means to you and (2) how your maturity level stands up.

I was with my boyfriend for two years before he told me he loved me

i think that it depends on what his past was bout sometimes. i think that if you guys spend so much time together and you feel that he's in love with you, then maybe he's just cautious with the things that he says and that it's not that he doesn't love you. i know that with myself - i've been in relationships that i thought it was NEVER going to happen, but i think that if you worry about that rather than being happy in a relationship then you're going sabotage things on your own.

I agree with Gooniette...this is an emotional fulfillment issue. If he goes on for much longer, refusing to give you what you need to feel comfortable in the relationship (even if it's just a reasonable explanation why he cannot say it right now) then he is not fulfilling the role of "good boyfriend."
I'm not saying your boyfriend is required to say "I love you," but as it's something that he can see is important to you, he should at least try to put you at ease so you can be happy. If he doesn't, then maybe you should look at why he doesn't feel it's necessary to do that.

If I were you, I don't think I would want to continue a relationship with a man who hadn't even said I love you after a year together. I think that if he hasn't said it by then, then he really doesn't love you. I wouldn't want to pursue something serious with someone who didn't love me. Just my personal opinion.

Love is more than him saying it yes it makes you feel good to hear it but trust if his actions does show it hearing is of no effect. My husband and I dated for 3 years and he never told me he loved me and at first I was soooooooooo upset (like WTF). Anyway when he finally told me that he loved me he confessed that he was afraid to tell me before because if he did anything wrong I would have thrown the fact that he said he loved me in his face. I thought about it and he was so right so maybe he's just afraid I say give it time if his actions shows that he loves you that's all that matters. And you don't want someone telling you they love you when they don't really mean it.

No, of course it's not wrong he hasn't said "it" yet. If you're happy in the relationship, keep going. If you start yearning for more of a commitment and he isn't reciprocal, end it.

People express love differently, and obviously for you, you need to hear it and say it. If he's not the type who can reciprocate in the way you need it, he might not be the right person for you. Give it a little longer but if he hasn't figured out he loves you yet, he may not ever figure it out. My ex did that to me. We were together for a year and I told him I loved him twice (about nine months in). He never reciprocated. It really hurt, and I realized I deserve much better. I deserve to hear it, and so do you.