Search Results: afraid of rejection

I suspect a guy friend has feelings for me based on his actions. He stares, gets jealous, observes me and focuses on me, remembers details I tell him, he reads me like a book, knows how I feel (attuned to me), wants my attention all the time, wants to contact me, acts nervous around me, avoids eye-contact up close and sometimes shows me his soft side (sends me songs, and compliments me etc). Other people around us notice it too and have told me multiple times "he likes you".

He keeps asking me what I feel for him, and he wants to know whether I like him or not. But the weird part is, whenever I try to talk about his feelings, he denies it. It's almost as if he gets nervous when I notice his actions. Why does he want to know what I feel if he isn't interested. Don't guys usually avoid a girl that likes them if they're not interested?

He becomes super defensive and says no, but his explanation changes every time. He gives me a different excuse every time he tries to deny it. He already knows I like him, so he isn't afraid of rejection.

I mean, it's fine if he doesn't like me, I'm fine with being friends... but why is he so defensive? Just be calm and tell me "no". What's the big deal?