Is it normal that i think i might love this person...

So last year I meet this boy and we instantly hit it off. We became friends very quickly and I found it really easy to be around him. I never thought anything of it, I just thought we were chill friends. Then one day at his house (it was a little party) it suddenly struck me out of nowhere that he might like me. I didn't know how to deal with this so I just sort of ignored him for the rest of the night. He kept looking at me and trying to talk to me, but I kept ignoring him, like I couldn't even look at him. The next day I thought about it and the idea of "him and me" was just weird and I couldn't imagine it. Now one year, we don't even talk and I'm pretty sure we aren't friends anymore. I think about him like crazy its actually really annoying. REALLY annoying. And about six months ago it all of a sudden struck me that I'm in love with him. I don't see how this makes sense because how you go from just seeing someone as a friend to loving them, totally skipping the liking stage? And especially when you're not in contact with them any more? By the way, I'm a girl, and me and this kid are oddly similar, its weird.