Best friend

[Joe3140]

I have a friend who i met about a year ago. We met through mutual friends. We sort of started hanging out more and more, and now we're best friends. We do everything and go everywhere together, with our other friends as well.

He kind of shy around people who he doesn't know. He is also kind of self-concious and cares a lot about what everyone thinks of him. Were part of a big group of friends, but we're definitely best friends.

I've started to have very strong feelings for him. I'm pretty sure I'm not gay. But I feel very attached to him and stuff, like the best of friends. Occasionally he'll show this feeling in return but not very obviously. We text each other a lot and I sometimes say stuff like how good of a friend of mine he is, or how I'd never do anything against him, and that hes my best friend. Stuff like that to try to invoke a more "intimate" friendship. Intimate like we can talk to each other about anything at all. But whenever I say those kinds of things he usually just returns it with a "yeah same to you" sort of response, never really moving it along.

So my question is how can I get us to be even closer friends? I feel like he won't really open up to me. But I know he would never open up to anyone else, he's too shy i guess you could say. I just need to hear him say like "you're my best friend and I'd do anything for you". How do I go about this without sounding repeatitive and saying to him the same old stuff every day?

I'm not sure if this is the right forum, move it if its not. Thanks

[Kaleidoscope Eyes]

He's obviously hesitant about opening up to people. The best thing you can do to assure him that you're a good friend, and someone that he can really trust and rely on, is to just be a good friend. Trying to push him into opening up by telling him what a good friend he is isn't a good idea. He'll catch on at some point, and he may feel like you're just fishing for compliments.

If you want him to trust you enough to open up about anything, don't do anything to lose the trust you have. If your friendship becomes closer, that's great--it's always nice to have that one friend who can talk to about anything. If he doesn't want to budge though, don't push it.

[Halibut]

do you think that maybe you think of him as just a brother and love him as one. strong feelings are usual

[byee]

Joe, it sounds like he's already telling you how important you are to him, and it also seems like you know it.

Communication comes in many forms, someimes although verbal is most direct, it's also less meaningful. It's his actions that speak more clearly, even if he's not totally comfortable verbalizing their intent.

Don't push him, accept his way of communicating his feelings about you and your friendship.

[Joe3140]

I think it is that I love him like a brother.

And yeah that makes sense IAMSAM. Thank you for the advice. I guess I'll just have to look for his way of communication and stop trying to force upon him mine.