Ugh. This is rough.

I’m not going to give you advice because you’ve probably gotten plenty of that already.

What I’m going to do is take your question seriously.

You say you don’t want to ruin your friendship.

But WHAT, in your deepest and most passionate of hearts, DO YOU WANT?

In my opinion, this will answer the question for you in the most profound and meaningful way possible.

Only you can decide if what your feeling is lust, infatuation, desire, obsession, love, friendship, or a confusing yet thrilling melange of all of these.

There are no guarantees. If you risk (or attempt to expand) friendship for the possibility of something else, something different, something more than what you have now, you could lose what you already have. That’s always a possibility.

But if there’s a good chance that you could have that something else, something different, something more that you both want, you’ll have to risk hurt feelings, rejection, pain, and misunderstandings. You might just get the passion, desire, and love I’m guessing you truly yearn for.

You’re not the only person ever to have this dilemma, but you are the only person that understands the uniqueness of your situation right now. Calculate the risks, make the decisions you think are best, and accept the consequences with as much good humor, wisdom, and compassion as you are able to, for your sake and the sake of your crush’s feelings.

I wish you the best. Good luck out there.