For about a year now, I have been falling in love with a girl I met at college. I've posted about her on here a few times in the past, because she is completely baffling to me.

On September 18th of 2012, I asked her out for the first time. She initially said yes, but a few hours later changed her mind, saying that she "didn't want to lead me on."

I accepted that she only wanted friendship, and we continued to strengthen our bond as friends. I should add that fall semester we were extremely close, talking in person for at least an hour every day. If we had time (which we rarely did) we could talk for 4 hours straight without running out of things to talk about. Our values are similar, our talents and weaknesses complement each other, we are very compatible.

On November 18th, I asked her out again, because I thought that maybe she had changed her mind. Once again, I was turned down. Again, things were awkward for a few days, but we continued the strong friendship, seeing each other every day.

In January, I left the US, and we didn't see each other in person again until April. We didn't stay in contact very well. She never initiated the conversation, and I was hurt by that, so I didn't contact her. Still, I slept every night in Italy with the stuffed animal she made me laid over my heart. She graduated in May and is now living in a different state, so we still don't get to see each other very often.

I have tried to accept that she just isn't romantically attracted to me, and to move on with my life. Most of the time, that isn't very successful. I often spend a lot of time trying to decipher her actions, emotions, and desires concerning me.

I think I may have finally figured it out. My two leading theories up until this point were:

1) She doesn't like me the way I like her
>BUT she has said flirtatious things to me, her body language suggests an attraction, and when I saw her in April she made a huge effort to look feminine (she usually dresses in jeans and t-shirts-and she looks adorable like that!-but for some reason when I saw her she put on a fancy dress shirt. She even wore makeup. She wasn't seeing anyone else besides me that day, and we weren't planning on going anywhere "fancy").

2). She has feelings for me, but is afraid to admit that she may be lesbian/bisexual.
>BUT she isn't the least bit homophobic, has accepting parents and friends, and has freely admitted that she is unsure of her sexuality.

A few nights ago, while laying awake, I came up with a new, stronger theory:

3). She likes me, but hasn't realized that her attraction for me goes beyond friendship.

This explains the effort she put into her appearance, the body language indicating an attraction (fidgeting, licking lips, etc), the flirtatious remarks she has made towards me (calling me "cute" in a clearly sexual way, saying she loves me).

There are several reasons why she may have not yet realized that she is attracted to me. She has never had a strong romantic attraction towards anyone before (she told me this before I asked her out, so I know that she truly hasn't), so she may not know what it feels like. She also is not a very introspective, "in-touch-with-her-feelings" kind of person, so she may not know how to label the feelings she has towards me.

If I am right (and I realize that it is a big IF) how can I help her to realize that she is attracted to me, and that we could have a beautiful relationship? I think that contacting her more often would be a good place to start; texting several times a week, and talking via skype once a week.

I think that I could make some light, flirtatious remarks ("You look beautiful tonight!", that sort of thing).

What else could I do to help her realize her attraction, if it exists?

Thanks