I (f22) want to support my friend (m23) emotionally but I'm worried I'm leading him on, I would appreciate any advice

My close friend has, in the past few years, been through a lot. He lost 3/4 of his grandparents while getting out of a drug addiction. He ended up pushing away pretty much everyone during the pandemic because of all the family stuff and his depression and adhd.

We've been close since High School and since we went to the same college and have been taking a few classes together, I've ended up sort of his only friend at the moment. He never puts any pressure on me about it or really even mentions it, but I definitely try to be there as much as I can for him.

Last November, he lost his mom and he kind of fell apart. Since then, especially because I graduated in the Fall and he still has one or two more quarters, I've basically been with him half the time im off work. He hasn't said anything outright, but sometimes he does or says things where I worry he's starting to see me more romantically.

To be honest, ive never been in a relationship and am aIso pretty mentally and emotionally fucked up in other ways. Im also just way too anxious to be dateable and I already worry so much that I could actually be hurting him rather than helping him this whole time. At the same time though, I feel like I can't push him away right now at his lowest point, and I wouldn't really want to either.

Is there a way to do both? Does any of this feel toxic? I'm honestly not sure what to do and would appreciate any advice!!

TL;DR My friend lost his mom recently and is at rock bottom, I want to be there for him as much as I can but I'm worried that he'll get too attached emotionally

Submitted March 22, 2023 at 10:12PM by ImMissBrightside https://ift.tt/6BUYaQm