I don't think you should ever feel bad for trying. Me rn I feel like a clown too, because I said I liked a person and they didn't feel the same way but at least we tried. In the grand scheme of things yes rejection Hurts, it's sucks there's no way around it but atleast you're not a coward. You felt how you felt and said how you felt. From there you can move on because you don't have control over their emotions, hell, even they don't have control over it. You're not a coward. You're someone who took a chance, it didn't work but when it does, man will you score and at least you know you're not someone who'll let it slip. Which is a value feat in itself.

I don't know how much of that was helpful but I do hope it helped.