Oooh thank you, I'll check it out! :-D there's also The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm, I recommend it

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You're absolutely right Guyomar :-D and I really appreciate your explanation. I'm similar.....when I say "I love you" in English I want it to be understood as 100% sincere and true, and not as a mere response.

I've been doing some reading recently about vulnerability so this was part of my 'daring to be more vulnerable' homework! Declaring my love knowing that validation is not guaranteed!

And finally yes, this guy is very quiet but very physical in terms of showing his interest, commitment and enthusiasm. Actions often speak louder than words in my experience :-D

Ah ha! Yes, now I get it: "tu m'aimes" sounds exactly the same (to the untrained ear) as "tu même"...although it wasn't said with the intonation of a question.....mais bon..... Hahahaha, so all that oxytocin went to my head after all......But, this is a guy who doesn't even tell his children "je t'aime"...he waits for them to say it first and then replies ;-) so my heart will survive in this context. Thank you everyone!

I agree, it sounds like "Tu m'aimes". If it had a question intonation, it's like "you love me?" What you've written means "you same" which doesn't really mean anything in this context.