I don't understand why some people are more than happy to tell their romantic partner(s) that they love them or that they matter to them or that they're important/special to them but when it comes to their friends they drip feed them emotional affection...
I have two friends whom I've known for years and they only give me emotional affection if I give it to them. For example, I only get told "I love you too" instead of being told |"I love you." Thre's a difference!

I have another friend who gave me emotional affection for the first time without me having to say it first, a month ago. It was the first time since 2020 that had happened to me! <3

The two friends I mentioned before are both dating people so they CAN express emotional affection openly but they don't for some reason.

One told me that they aren't used to giving it which makes no sense to me as they have a partner.

I'm not sure how the other one feels about it but they tell me that they "love me too" when I tell them that I love them.

My other friend told me that they "only tell their family and romantic partner that they love them" which is something I will NEVER understand as I don't think telling someone they're loved should only be told to someone you have a familial/romantic relationship with.

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I once told a different friend that I loved her and she said "Thank you." that hurt. Telling someone that you love them is intimate and serious.

I think it's ridiculous that I have to wait until I enter a romantic relationship to be told that I am special to someone, that I make someone happy or that I matter to someone!

I also shouldn't have to express my love for my friends to get it back...

It makes me not want to do it as I feel like it only gets told as I give it.

All I want it just random expressions of affection because my friends love me and want to show/tell me that they love/care about me!

I naturally am emotionally affectionate to my friends, I always want to tell them that I love/care about them, I want to tell them that they're important to me and that I am grateful to have them in my life.

I know that romantic relationships are different from platonic ones but that doesn't mean that friends shouldn't be told that they're important and special!

It's not fair that my friends' partners get affection from them and I only ever get it if I give it...

I know I could talk to my friends about this but it would make things awkward and I want them to be affectionate to me because they want to not because they feel like they have to, that would make it unnatural.