My advice to you would be to take his words seriously. He likes you and wants to be your friend. Period. If you feel romantic about him, maybe it is you the one who has to step back for a bit, until the feeling has passed. The world is full of opportunities for sex and romance and so few for true friendship, and you should value that. Open your eyes for someone who wants you romantically, and let him take the initiative, since your romance radar needs a little tuning at the moment. Mine was always completely off, so that is what I used to do.
Hugs and have fun!
You know it's love when the pain of being apart is greater than the pain of being together.