what is this i'm feeling?

Yes, I've known several women who seemed almost plain at first glance and got much better with time, and sometimes not very much time at all. I do think it's more a matter of perception than love, though. For myself, I mean. I won't pretend to speak for you.

This phenomenon is one of the joys of life. I have experienced it many times. It is good to be able to have your own perception of someone's beauty that may contradict conventional or widely held notions. I once read a magazine article about a bunch of rather thoughtless young men who used to go to London night clubs and dare each other to approach the "ugliest" girls they could see, and ask them for a dance. Extra points were awarded if the girl gave her phone number, and even more if a date was arranged. The journalist interviewed one guy from this group who said that he had dated an 'ugly' girl in this way and now they were engaged and were going to be married in a few months. He said "I don't see those guys any more.". There was a photo of this couple and you know what - she was really pretty. Trust your own feelings.

The French have an expression "jolie laide" which translates roughly as "beautiful ugly" and is used for a woman who is unconventionally beautiful. Of course there is much that is sexist in this notion, but as the literary critic Daphne Merkin put it, jolie laide is "a triumph of personality over physiognomy, the imposition of substance over surface." I think this is what I am trying to express. Substance rather than surface. An amazing thing to be able to perceive. A woman often thus described is Charlotte Gainsbourg, who I have always thought was gorgeous in every way.

i think she had/has feelings for me as well. we talk everyday and i always look forward to seeing her. we always have lively conversation and joke about anything we can all day. i've told my friends about her and from what they tell me about how we interact, they think it's a sure thing she likes me and i should go for it. however, i'm not sure if this is just her normal demeanor and aura (i wouldn't be surprised, she's a charming person) or i'm just missing something. i started noticing how we talk over the past few weeks and i think she's beginning to lose interest. i'm not a very confident person and i don't hold myself in high regard and i find it very hard to muster the courage to ask her out. any tips?

If it is, all the more reason to ask her out. I have no tips on how to muster courage; as a young man I, too, often lacked the courage to ask girls out. Unfortunately even the most charming of girls may not wait forever. Perhaps this consideration might galvanise you?

i've been really thinking about it and i think i'm just gonna ask her next week. i've been saying this for 2 weeks now but like you said, they might not wait forever.

Also, consider that you have nothing to lose. Better to hear 'no' now, than some time in the future, or (worse) watch her grow tired and withdraw. Also, why next week? What's wrong with this week? Or better still, today?

well today's saturday and i don't see her until monday. shouldn't i do it in person? i don't get nervous around her really so i don't have a problem asking like that. also today is prom and for a few weeks everyone has been motivating me to ask her but i feel she's out of my league.

what really throws me off is that she initiated conversation and is quick to pick me as a partner for projects. i think she's out of my league but again, i don't know if she's like this to everyone or she just considers me a friend. how do i know if she actually has feelings for me versus if she's just a loquacious, friendly person?

You are not going to know anything until and unless you spend more time with her.

Stop pussy-footing around and ask her to go someplace where you can be with her - whether its for ice cream or the library.