So, I have this friend, let's call him "R", and I've always had a crush on him. I've always thought he was really cute and sweet and funny. I love being around him, whether we're playing games or just sitting on the couch in his apartment doing nothing. We started really talking more and getting to know each other last year, in the summer. He once sent me a message on a dating app calling me "cutie". I took that as a sign of him having mutual feelings, but at the time I never got to hang out with him. We only started doing that back in November, meeting up to play board games and once going out to eat pizza. Two of my friends suggested that I ask what he thought of us, to be sure. I was like, so would you say we're dating? He said no, and said that he enjoys being around me and that he thinks I'm fun and interesting. I felt kind of disappointed, but one of the two other friends mentioned above said that he might develop mutual feelings later on. I'm not sure what to do at this time. I'm afraid about if I only wanted to hang out with in the hopes that we could be a couple, but I do love hanging out with him, and like I said before he makes feel really happy. He even stated once that he wants me to be happy and stuff, which I don't think anybody's ever really said to me before, and which I find amazing (I'm not the most self confident person). I'm worried about sounding like some straight dude complaining about being "friend zoned". Basically I was hoping for advice on how I should handle it, and it is greatly appreciated.
