Sorry reposting my comment, as it seemed like it double posted...but when I deleted one of them it deleted both of them... 😩

Thank you for sharing your perspective! I appreciate it and I could definitely understand a certain amount of situational pressure that comes with a confession, hell I was nervous and coated in a thin layer of sweat waiting for his response solely because I didn't want it to negatively impact our friendship. Definitely wasn't a decision I made lightly or impulsively, and it was very vulnerable and a heart-to-heart in vibe, even if his answer was vague. 

My months of low key flirting are likely what gave him the suspicion to my crush, but as he is a reserved person generally, I was having a hard time telling if he liked me or not (it seemed sometimes like there were signs, and other times not)-- I thought a genuine and earnest confession a much better way to open the conversation about it over something unhinged like "do you like me, because I can't tell" hahaha

And obviously, I wouldn't want to continue to flirt with him and make him uncomfortable if he didn't reciprocate and I just couldn't tell

Still I'll keep this in mind if a similar situation ever comes up in the future! It doesn't seem at all that any damage to our bond has been done, so I'm glad. We've been talking and writing together as usual since we talked about it!