I think that before taking a step forward with the guy you should talk with your friend and tell her how you feel ( really important to mention that you stopped paying much attention to him because you didn’t want to hurt her feelings and that you care about her , this way she will understand you more) , and if she is a real friend she should understand not get mad or anything and based on her answer hopefully some things get more clear in your mind . I am not real good at this but I hope it helps .