Hi. My [23f] friend [24m] and I met at school. We have a lot in common, both are back in college after going to trade school. We hit it off immediately. When we first started hanging out I was seeing someone, and he had just been through a really bad break up. He got cheated on, and is still trying to work through that and regain his ability to trust. A month or so later I ended things with my bf for unrelated reasons. My friend and I remained platonic for a short while after that, but eventually both being single, things began to take on a more physical nature. I was sure this was the beginning of a relationship, and I was looking forward to giving it all the time it needed before rushing into labels. Recently though, my friend has told me that we need to go back to being platonic, which we have for the most part except a few drunk hook ups. He says that I’m the kind of girl he’d want to be with but that he’s not ready to be with anyone. He even went as far as to say that he loved me “but not in that way”. I’m crushed, to be honest. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to let go of hope that one day he’ll feel ready and that he’ll want to try with me. But I’m having some serious doubts. If nothing else I do want to remain friends, it’s just so painful right now.