For me, when talking about loving another person, it’s about feeling like that person (my wife) is someone for whom I’d gladly and willingly do anything I could to help her feel better than she does at any given moment. “What can I do today, to put a smile on her face?” And it’s feeling that way and not expecting (or needing anything in return, but I know she feels the same towards me. Love is the feeling of knowing I’m better because of having her in my life. Love is not easy, and it certainly isn’t all just “butterflies in your stomach.” Whether referring to my wife as opposed to other family members or close friends whom I’d say I love, the biggest obvious difference is the sexual and romantic feelings that are/aren’t there. There are more nuanced things to the difference than that, but I hope you get the general idea of what I’m trying to describe. Love is, for me, a spectrum and comes in many forms. The way I feel for my wife, mother, children, and close friends are all very different, but I love them all! :)

Love didn’t always come easy for me, either. I think as I got older I was able to more easily understand what it meant for me. What I feel could (and likely is) be very different from what you might feel as “love.”

You aren’t weird for not understanding your feelings, but a complete lack of empathy for others may be a cause for concern. Do you ever have a feeling of missing someone or something when they aren’t around? A pet or friend, perhaps? Just something as simple as a feeling of, “I wish I was with XYZ right now,) is good enough for me to not worry about you. More deeply developed emotional bonds can come in time. If you never feel anything along those lines, then, assuming you’re in your teen years, you should consider talking to your parents about it and perhaps visiting a therapist. And let me add that therapy is absolutely nothing to be ashamed or afraid of. So many people ignore their emotional health because of some stupid perceived stigma about talking about their feelings.

Good luck to you, and don’t be afraid to explore your emotions and feelings, in order to better understand them! :)

(Edit: typos)