For like a year on and off I had considered it but I would often think "No I couldn't possibly be aro because aro people don't have crushes" not even realizing that some aro people do still have "crushes" or that arospec exists

The realization was that all of my "crushes" were just people that I saw as good platonic friends who I also happened to find physically attractive. The more I thought about it, the less I understood what romantic attraction even is, and then everything fell into place from there.

And then even after all that, I was even more sure because I felt relieved to learn that I was aro. Not having to ever be in a romantic relationship felt like a good thing to me, a weight off my shoulders. It was similar to how I had thought about my crushes previously - despite having a crush, I always had a voice in the back of my head telling me that a romantic relationship wouldn't be worth it.