How did you know it was love? It could be a near heart attack, an innocent question or a funeral ...

RACHEL: We met at an improv program. We bonded because we were the only two Latinos in the group. He was handsome, funny, and sweet, and he had a huge crush on me. But I was so scared of messing up our friendship that I pushed him away.

We lost touch. As time passed, he went from being a good friend to "the one who got away." After every bad relationship, I'd kick myself for not taking a chance on him.

A couple of years went by, then one day, out of the blue, I got an email from him. We made plans to catch up, and that whole week my stomach was filled with butterflies.

I tried to keep it casual, telling myself I was just going to catch up with an old friend, but I knew better. The night we met, I arrived at the bar early, and sat there, hands sweating, throat dry. I was either getting a cold or I was in love. When I spotted him walking towards me, my heart was beating so fast, I thought I was having a heart attack. There he was, a little older and a little pudgier, but I knew I wasn't about to ever let him go again. We just celebrated our first wedding anniversary.

SASHA: I asked a co-worker if he thought it was inappropriate for me to call David, a fellow author, to critique my book manuscript. David had been a widower for a year, and I didn't want him to think I was coming on to him. I remembered how my father had been deluged with unsolicited tuna noodle casseroles after my mother died.

My co-worker said he didn't think it was inappropriate and I realized I was definitely interested! It was as though my late mother was saying, "This is your chance to date a great guy!" Sure enough, four years later, we're going strong! He's my soul mate and life partner!

ARIEL: I'd been going back and forth between two men, Kenny and Chuck. Kenny was the proverbial bad boy. He couldn't hold a job, was always in minor trouble with the law, and on the outs with his family. I was never quite sure where I stood with him, but he made my heart skip a beat whenever we were together.

Chuck was just the opposite: good job, good citizen, model son and brother. But I was afraid he was just a little boring. I knew he loved me and I could always count on him. I just wasn't sure I wanted to.

Then my mother passed away. We had been very close and she was just 52. It was very sudden and I was completely devastated. I turned to Kenny for comfort. He said all the right things. He told me he would be there for me at the wake and the funeral and whatever came after that.

Well, he never showed up at the wake. I called Chuck and he came right over. He never left my side. He made me realize that there was nothing boring about him and that real men come through when times are tough and little boys run away. We've been together ever since.

How did you know it was love? Send your thoughts along with your questions and problems to cheryllavinrapp@gmail.com. And check out my new ebook, "Dear Cheryl: Advice from Tales from the Front."

Photo credit: Rosmarie Voegtli