Wish I could say "love is all you need" like the fairytales and bad fortune cookies tell you. But in reality, you need proper communication, especially at your young age, touching, holding hands, going out with each other, all these things are vital to your relationship building. Without it, your relationship will slip downhill for a while. Not to say it can't survive, it definately can... But the process requires both of your 100% commitment, and a few years of sadness and frustration. From the sounds of it, you're not ready to be 100% commited, you're looking to explore to verify she is what you really want. This is healthy, and if things work out then after experiencing new people and not being happy, you might end up with her again.
Justin