1. She puts you in the forefront of her decisions.

She may be an independent woman, but you can tell she’s started to fall for you by how much weight she places on your thoughts and opinions. If she asks you what you think before making a choice, if she checks in to see what you’re doing before setting plans, or if she just considers your perspective alongside her own, you can rest assured she loves you (even if she’s been too nervous to say those three words aloud).

2. She gives you direct eye contact.

Sometimes we shy away from looking people in the eye—it’s intimidating, it’s scary, and it makes you downright vulnerable. So if she’s looking at you when you speak, if you’re getting her undivided attention, if she’s staring into your eyes and not breaking contact, especially when she’s talking about something serious, then she’s comfortable with you and has strong enough feelings towards you to really let you see her.

3. She does cute little things for you.

You’ve become a priority in her life. She wants to make you happy because suddenly her happiness is tied together with yours. She cares deeply for you, and wants you to know this. But sometimes saying those three words is a lot. Sometimes she wants to show you, rather than tell you. So if she’s getting you little gifts—something small that reminded her of you, your favorite candy bar because she just ‘happened to see it’ at the grocery store, a little handwritten note on the counter—she’s thinking about you and wants you to know she’s thinking about you. She loves you. That’s for sure.

4. She blushes and unconsciously smiles when talking about you.

You can tell a woman loves you by the way she talks about you—by her effortless smile and laughter, by the ease at which she tells stories, or laughs about your cute memories together. When a woman is in love, she blushes at the mention of your name. She can’t help but brighten when you’re brought up in conversation. It’s so obvious, from her head to her toes, that she loves and cares so deeply for you.

5. She claims you, and calls you hers.

You can tell she loves you by her territorial nature. She might not be mean or jealous, but she’ll put her arm around you when another woman comes up; she’ll kiss you on the cheek in front of her friends, just to make it known that you’re hers. These things are subtle, because she’s not insecure. She’s merely claiming you as hers and being open about the relationship because she’s not ashamed to be totally and completely into you.

6. She mentions the future, and includes you in it.

This might happen unintentionally or purposefully, but she’ll be talking about some future date, some future plan, and your name just slips in with ease. Without thinking, she’s placed you into this important role in her life. She values you and sees the future with you. She’s already made a space for you in her heart and life—she loves you—it’s obvious.

7. She almost says those three little words.

Saying ‘I love you’ is scary. She might let it slip. Maybe when she’s drunk, leaning on your shoulder in the cab. Maybe when it’s a lazy Sunday and she’s curled up on your lap. Maybe when you’re running out the door to work and it comes naturally, unconsciously. Or maybe she won’t say it, but will come close. An ‘I l—’ stopped on the tip of her tongue. Or a hug that lasts just a moment too long. You can tell she loves you when she tries to hold back, but almost says it. When she smiles at you, knowingly, but waits for the right minute. When you both know those three little words are hanging in the air, filling the space between you. She loves you, and she’ll say it in time.

Marisa Donnelly is a poet and author of the book, Somewhere on a Highway, available here.