You say your boyfriend is funny. As someone who has tried to be funny their whole life, I would guess that he won't say he loves you because inside of him is a frightened and sobbing little boy. Or, if he's more "Dave Attell funny," a bitter alcoholic.

Humor is often a mask for deep emotional issues. I myself use humor to mask my crippling fear of social interaction and my raging chlamydia. Trust me, nothing smooths over the "morning after" talk like a good chlamydia joke.

Try not to put so much weight on those three little words. He's clearly preoccupied with them, and making a big deal out of it is just going to make him more anxious. Chances are, you KNOW your boyfriend loves you, because of the way he acts around you, the things he does for you, the ridiculous clothing he lets you dress him in.

Then again, while there's no desperate need for him to say "I love you" for you to feel connected, there's a limit to what's reasonable. Everyone's entitled to a little commitment phobia (especially men; it's our birthright), but if your guy is excusing himself to the bathroom to avoid saying it, or if he still hasn't said it six months from now, that would arouse my suspicion, either that he's feeling guilty about something he's done or that he has a form of reverse Tourette's that precludes him from saying "I love you."

Lighten up for a while, and try not to acknowledge the yawning, awkward silences after you say "I love you." Say it when and because you mean it, not to hear it in return. If he's still being coy after a couple weeks, he's probably not that into you or a complete coward. Or both; we do that a lot too. The trick is to protect our egos by treating us like strong, capable men, while at the same time ignoring our irrational, child-like fear of commitment.

God, we kind of suck, don't we?