I’m not sure I believe love is real

I don’t know if my family loves me, because everyone lashes out at each other so frequently. I’m also not sure if relationships can be any better than that either. I basically want some sort of testimony that love is real. Tell me when you knew you were loved or in love. Tell me what it feels like, and if it’s all it’s cracked up to be.

For everyone, love is something different. My story is, I grew up with this guy (let's call M). We've known eachother since we were 3. We had the same babysitter and I wasn't like other girls my age. I played like one of the guys, got in the mud. A real tomboy if you will. M and I were not that close when we got to elementary school and won't reconnect again till 5th grade. Unfortunately around 3rd grade i hit puberty early. I got bullied a lot and was called fat. So, as a result I developed serious body image issues. In 5th grade, we got put next to each other. M was known as the super smart kid and I was the quiet and weird one. Soon we became close friends again, bonding over our new interest. He asked me out mid year. As a response i panicked and said "no". I was very embarrassed and said nothing to him for the rest of the year. I'n 7th grade we were seated next to each other again. Once again we became friends. He had maintained that friend status till about 8th grade. That year i was at my lowest. My mom just had a stroke, I was in a very abusive relationship and I was sexually assaulted by another guy in my class. The whole time I was talking with him, telling him only glimpsing details of what was really going on. He stayed and supported me the whole time. I got out of the abusive relationship when the guy got tired with me. I was absolutely destroyed. I told M what happened. He never judge me, only making small comment here and there about how he was here for me. A few days later when i was feeling better M told me, he was in love with me and asked me out. I thought about it and said ok after about a day. I was still hurting and he made sure that I was comfortable with everything. At the end of school when he’d go home and I'd go to a sports club he gave me a hug and told me he loved me. This happened from day one for 3 months. Every day after school the same thing. One day, after 3 months I had formed feeling for him and told him back. 6 month later out first kiss. 3 months later out first date and ect. It’s been almost 6 years now with him. We both go to different colleges only an hour or so apart. We always try to make time for each other and we text everyday. We still do little things sometimes like to go on long walks and talk, or give another little drawings, or gifts. It’s always the little things. I am still in love, or even more so than I was 6 years ago with M. I hope that cheers you up. I cannot say much about my family love, but i know i was able to make my own.