A squish is like a crush but has nothing to do with romantic feelings. They are the one who gives you butterflies, and you can’t get enough of them.

A squish is someone you simply must be around, but not in a sexual kind of way. As human beings, our nature is to want to belong and to be connected to people. But, there are very few people we encounter in life that we are absolutely inamorata about. There are times when we meet people and are completely drawn to them. Love is what makes the world go ‘round, but it isn’t always the romantic kind.

What’s a squish?

Well, there are different ways that you experience a deep and intense attraction to someone. When you squish someone, it means you have strong feelings of love for them, but it has nothing to do with sex, you just love everything about them and being with them.

Squish is the new word for crush, but it isn’t always the traditional type of crush. An asexual attraction to someone, you don’t want just to be friends with someone, you want to be something special to them. Like being besties, or having a bromance, when you squish on someone, it means you just can’t get enough of them.

15 signs you may have a squish on your hands

If you’ve ever met someone, whether in a relationship or outside of one, and thought you were cut from the same cloth. You feel alive for the first time when with them, then they are your squish.

#1 They just get you. Your squish is someone who just “gets” you. Like finding a kindred spirit, you want to be around them because you know that whether you sit on the couch watching television or hitting the clubs, it makes no difference. When you are with them, you have the best time ever. [Read: Queer platonic relationship: 25 signs you might already be in one]

#2 When they text you, you get that giddy feeling in your stomach. Just like a crush, when you get a text from your squish, you get all giddy like a school kid.

Your squish says funny things and is witty. Whatever they say lightens your day simply because you know that by them contacting you, they thought about you as much as you thought of them.

#3 You want to be with them, like, all the time. Like the first time you fall in love, you want to be with your main squish as much as possible. In fact, when they leave or you drop them off you already talk about meeting back up in an hour or two. Things just can’t seem to get any better than the time you are with your squish.

#4 When they walk in the room you light up. Butterflies are a key component to a squish, but they are a little different from love. It is like they bring you alive. All the things that were black and white, become colorful when they enter the room. [Read: Good friends are like stars: 18 ways to build lasting relationships]

#5 They make everything better. If you have a bad day or an extremely boring one, your squish makes everything fun. From wedding crashing to making a tragic funeral less tragic, when they are around, it just feels like you have a personal bubble of awesomeness!

#6 When you have a problem they’re the first person you call. If you are in a car accident, your boyfriend or girlfriend breaks up with you, or you have a tragedy, regardless if you have a significant other or not, your squish is your emergency contact. They are the person you turn to make everything okay.

#7 They make you lighthearted and happy. Even if you are a moody soul, you can’t hold a frown or a grudge in the face of your squish. They make you happy no matter what is going on. They have that personality like everything you’ve dreamed of rolled into one. It has nothing to do with sexual feelings at all. [Read: How to have fun with friends: 30 really fun ways to beat boredom]

#8 You will do whatever they want, even if you aren’t into it. If they call and say they want to go to a Cool & the Gang reunion concert *yep, you have no idea what that even is*, you are onboard. It doesn’t make a difference what they want to do. If they ask you, then it is on. You are ready and waiting. It isn’t about what you do together; it is just about being together.

#9 You get a little jealous if there’s a third wheel. There is nothing worse than a third wheel unless your squish wants them there. You are all good with them having other friends, but when it is your time, it is your time. You don’t like others joining along.

#10 You find reasons to contact them. If everything you see makes you want to share, or you even come up with ways to contact them during the day just to make sure they’re real and still there, then you might be squishing on them. [Read: No friends? Uncomfortable reasons your life’s how it is]

#11 You have a nickname for them. If you aren’t really a nickname type person but suddenly find yourself shortening their name or even making up a cool name from one of your adventures, then you probably have a squish on your hands. Nicknames are a way to say you mean something special to them.

There can be a thousand Julie’s, but if you switch it to “J,” that means you set them apart from the rest of the crowd.

#12 If you have a free night you want to spend it with them. If you have a free night, hell, a free two hours, you want to meet up with your squish for some replenishing. They are like a breath of fresh air and the best way to get through a long day or to top one off in the right way.

#13 You dress alike. Whether on purpose, God forbid, or just because you are that much alike, often you and your squish find yourself dressing the same. You show up with the same color on or the same style of dress. You know you should go home and change but figure what the heck, let’s just do this.

#14 You start to sound alike. You and your squish spend so much time together that you start to talk alike. You use the same phrases, use the same hand gestures, and find that you finish each other’s sentences. Sometimes it is just from being together so much, while others it is because you are two peas in a pod. [Read: The 8 kinds of friends everyone needs in their life]

#15 You like all the same things. You agree that margaritas are the bomb, you like the same movies, and laugh at the same jokes. It is like you are cut from the same cloth. You never fight about what you want to do because you both want to do the same things.

Having a squish is one step up from a bestie, because it is a crush, but it has nothing to do with a sexual attraction. It is just pure attraction.

[Read: Platonic love and its revealing secrets]

If you find someone who just gets you, you want to be with all the time, and they give you butterflies, then you have found yourself a squish.