One of my (27/f) best friends (26/m) is in love with me--I told him I don't feel the same, but he said he won't stop pursuing me until I'm married...

I've been friends with this one guy (26) since college. He's super sweet, kind, friendly, and always has been a really good friend. He lives half way across the country, though. He moved with his family to the east coast from the Midwest after college and I still live in the Midwest. He has really strong feelings for me, and, although, we have never dated, or kissed even, he tells me that he loves me more than someone he dated for a year and loved deeply, and he never wants to stop pursuing me until I'm married. I have told him that my feeling for him teeter back and forth. I do like him, but I definitely think it's more as a friend. I don't have those excited feelings inside when I see he messages me or when we talk on the phone like I have with past boyfriends or guys I have been interested in. I've blatantly told him that, after 9 years, I haven't been able to get to that same level and don't think I will. He told me, "even if you reject me, I'm not going to stop pursuing you until you're married." I think he's crazy for that. I want to see him happy, and I don't want him to give up women who are excited about him in that way because of me. I don't know how to move forward. I couldn't have been clearer about how I feel, and he doesn't seem to care. It's flattering to know someone feels that strongly about me, but it makes me feel bad whenever I message him back, knowing he's not going to get the result he wants in the end. How do I move forward knowing that this will ultimately end in disappointment for him? I don't know what else to do...

Tl;dr: One of my best friends for 9 years has confessed his love to me. I don't feel the same, and have communicated that, but he said he won't stop pursuing me until I am married...what do I do?

Submitted April 27, 2020 at 06:47AM by katy91lo https://ift.tt/3bJPRkD