Search Results: don't want to lose my friend

I've liked this guy a long time and he's liked me. I may have even fallen in love. We dated too soon in the beginning never had a chance to develop a friendship,. which i learned too late and too slowly that is important to me. I ended up ghosting him bc i didn't understand how i could like him so much but not want to be with him and i had no way of explaining it plus i didn't want to be like someone just talking about feelings. It was not normal to me at that point. id never talked to anyone about how i felt about anything. i thought it was kind of pathetic. i feel bad saying that now, but it was true.

needless to say he was angry and hurt and its been a few years we are just now rebuilding things to where i thin we could be friends... except we are very attracted to each other and i think he's taking my trying to be just friends as not being interested. its easy for him to feel that way bc of the past.

how do i explain i want to be friends first without him thinking im not interested.

things moved too quickly and we really never got to know each other in a real friend way. i dont want to do that again. but im not even positive he wants to try again. im pretty sure but not absolute.

so its not just how do i explain but i have to explain by bringing up us possibly being together at some point after we become friends, not knowing if he is 100% interested in either.

it does not work to just be friendly i have to explain something to him before he gets the wrong idea one extreme or the other. id like help in talking to him about it. not advice on how to not worry about it.

has anyone decided to become friends with someone they already know they are interested in? i know people get involved with friends but im talking about knowing you like someone more than a friend but waiting till the friendship is solitified.. and what problems might arise?