He isn't stalkery or abusive or anything like that. He's actually quite shy and humble. He's one of my oldest friends. Lovely guy, just not my type romanticly, and I like someone else. He feels more like a brother to me than anything else.
He didn't bother me or abuse me afterwards, but he really took it hard and now he won't date any other girls (even though there are quite a few I know who would jump at the chance). He actually ran away when, barely holding back tears when I tried to console him. It really broke him.
He's made himself isolated and beats himself up remorselesly, thinking he was selfish for approaching me. He refuses to think any girl will date him and generally avoids the topic of dating as much as possible.
When it does come up and I or my friends encouraged him to date other girls he angrily (at himself) refuses and just says he wants to be alone. One of my friends even likes him, but when both of us pointed that out to him, he dismissed it as a lie.
I think he's just making the mistake of getting tunnel vision, so now that I've rejected him, he can't understand that there are other girls who are interested in him. He sometimes says he feels like it would be a betrayal (of me) for him to date. Some sort of over the top loyalty.
As his friends have all entered relationships, he's become increasingly lonely and depressed, especially after his sister's passing, after which he mourned alone. Is there something I could do to help him?
