Love exists only without an object. Love is the love of the objectless by the objectless. An object puts clothes on love, and dressed, veils it. What we love in a person is neither the physical body nor the thoughts.
It is the conscious presence that we have in common with him or her, the self, the objectless. The veil can exercise a temporary power of attraction, but only the true self that remains in the background can bring us what we seek.