People often say "love is willing the good of the other." This is not exactly wrong, but it is not the most basic account of love.

Love certainly involves willing/desiring something good for someone, so we often distinguish between desire-love (love of wine, for example), and friendship-love (love of the person for whom I desire the wine). But there is a more basic reality of love underlying these two.

The basic reality of love is the conformity of the heart to some good.

Just as knowledge is most basically the conformity of the mind to truth, just so love is the conformity of the heart (or will) to the good.

When we see something/someone good it "melts" our hearts, and forms our hearts (as it were) in its own image. "His heart, like an agate, with your print impress'd."

This basic reality of love as conformity of the heart to the good underlies both desire-love and friendship-love.

Why do I love fine wine with a love of desire? Because the desiring part of my soul has been moved by the goodness of the wine. Why do I love my friend? Because my heart has been moved by the goodness of my friend.

The first beginning of all love is goodness, which moves our hearts by its intrinsic desirableness.