Dear Harlan,

I've known my best friend since elementary school. He was one of my closest friends in high school. He was even one of the first people I came out to when I realized that I'm gay, and he's been very supportive. Now we're going to the same college. Even though we now live within walking distance of each other, he's almost always with other friends and he's hard to get a hold of to talk to or arrange time to hang out. That's not what bothers me, though. I think I have a crush on him, but I'm afraid to tell him because first, he's straight, and second, it would probably be more than a little awkward. I do other things to get my mind off of him. I just don't know how I should handle this. What should I do?

Friendship Fading

Dear Friendship Fading,

And how would telling him how you feel help your friendship? I get that you're attracted to the one person who has been so loving and loyal to you in your life, but he can't give you more. Maybe he senses you want more and he's pushing away from you. Telling him will most likely push him even further away. You've got to get over it. Get out of your room. Get involved in anything and everything that can help you hang out in rooms with more people. Once he senses that your crush is gone, that's when he'll come back into your life.