Ever been in love with a close friend?

This is just a general question, I want to see if I can find some common ground with anyone before I spill the beans entirely about my problem.

I met someone this year, who is considerably younger, but I grew very close to in a short amount of time. I am a 23 year old woman, he's an 18 year old guy. I started feeling for him give it only a few weeks into know him. That is not like me, I'm a mature woman and I've had experiences and long term relationships where I can decipher love and lust. There was an obvious attraction a few months ago coming from him toward me mutually, but due to other people getting in the way, (His best mate fancying me) he drew away from me in order not to hurt him.
Now he's out of the picture, he claims he's afraid of accepting my advances as he believes we'd fall into a very intense relationship (I agree) and he says he's not ready for it quite yet, as he says he'd been hurt in early 2010. I have been hanging on and pretending to be 'just friends' with him for months and it's really starting to get to me. I even wrote him a love note, he didn't say much. I am living in agony obsessing about this and I am not using the term lightly. I am slowly falling into depression. I am not getting enough sleep because it keeps me up. I get up late for work because I spend entire nights racking my head wondering what to do, what to say, to even say anything yet...
What do I do to convince him to give it a chance? Or should I wait? I can't let go. I've tried again and again to give up, even avoiding for two weeks, from every day conversation I cut off contact. He was worried and his calls asking where I was warmed my heart. I need to know what I should do. If I need to give up, how on earth could I find the strength to? Because I have tried.

Should I elaborate more on the story?

*BUMP*

Hope that's okay.

bump bump, bump it up!

.... I think your infatuated with him. have you already told him how you feel? yes. then you can't do anymore...
time to move on. - I'm sorry to tell that to you because I am in the same situation myself, and it doesn't feel good and it is depressing.

I am a little older then you. 25. 26 in august. so not much older. but I don't want to spend my life waiting on what could have been when there are hundres and thousands of people out there who are just as special looking for someone to invest in. I am looking for what could be, If I can I want to enjoy my time and spend it with them. before it is gone. and it is racing by now, days turning to months to years quickly -> I see myself soon waking up and me being dead or 80.

I think wisdom at times can be overrated because you can end up in the same spot be it you take the wise path or the foolish path, but sometimes I just want the least emotionally painful path. it is not the same as going for the most emotional investment, but I have done that once too.

regards,

- Labor

Can't say this has ever happened to me. But then I've only had one female friend, and that was 16 years ago. I can imagine that would be a very difficult situation. Don't know what advice I can really offer. Of course there are a lot of people you could potentially like and have a relationship with, but you're not interested in them right now.

No...only a close fiende...BOOM BOOM.