I have feelings for one of my very best friends. I told him about this about a year ago, after a few months of struggling with it, after a new life policy of no-regrets risk-taking. Nothing came of it, and we only became closer friends. Last week, however, I brought it up again, because some of his behavior led me to believe he had forgotten, or thought I had gotten over it. Turns out the mixed signals were just because he is a very nice guy and is pretty oblivious.

He is kind, and considerate, and the best. We are so alike. After I told him my feelings hadn't changed and I was having a hard time, he said, "You know you are one of my favorite people in the world, and one of the people I respect the most. You are definitely my closest friend in [our city]. We are so alike, and so compatible. It ["us"] would be so great, so easy, so perfect. But you know this isn't an intellectual decision."

He handled it better than I could have predicted, and it was exactly what I could reasonably expect him to say. But the facts of the situation still suck. A lot. He was also so willing to do anything to make things easier for me. "Does this mean no more absurdly_practical-me time? Should we sit four seats apart from each other?" But I've given it a lot of thought, and I told him that I'd rather stay best friends and deal with my feelings than not be friends with him. I'd rather hear about things--like other girls, specifically--from him firsthand than from someone else via the grapevine three days later. I told him not to hold back to spare my feelings.

And so here I am, still single, still hung up on him after a year of trying to move on, still never-been-kissed, still waiting, while in my eyes, a really great guy is just out of my reach. And I respect him and his feelings too much to get mad at him, or throw myself at him, or anything like that.

(This is bothering me enough that I created an account just to get this out there. No more lurking.)

TL;DR I have feelings for one of my best friends; I told him (for the second time as a reminder) and although he thinks we would be perfect together, he doesn't share the feelings and is willing to do anything to make things easier for me. Single, lonely, having a hard time.