Search Results: his ex confronted me

So I've known my best friend for 9 years. We dated for a couple of weeks when we were 16 and we were each others first kiss. I didn't speak to him for 2 years and now we're extremely close best friends. However, him and his fiancee have been having issues. He says he has sex about once every 3 months. I've recently got out of a 5 year relationship (4 months since i broke up with my ex).

I've always felt a little uncomfortable with the way my best friend hugged me goodbye and kissed my forehead. He tells me how attractive I am, and says he misses the cheeky banter between us when we were both single. The way he looks at me sometimes makes me think that he's in love with me, and ocassionally in public he'll put his arm around my waist in a long hug while we walk. He'll even slap me on the ass as I turn around to leave after saying goodbye, now to me this isn't appropriate considering he's engaged. Even when I went on a date the other day and i was asking his advice on outfits (He's basically a gay friend to me, i don't see him any other way) he said he was envious of the guy i was going out with. He messages me all day everyday, even while he's at work.

Yet every time I confront him he denies it and says we're better as friends. He more or less says something along the lines of him not being attracted to me in that way every time i see him, yet the way he acts isn't something I would ever do. He's been acting this way for years now, so it's not recently started. I never really thought anything of it or saw it before I broke up with my ex.

Am I overthinking things? Is he just sexually attracted to me? Or is he in love with me? Also if he is, how do I deal with this?