Advice about a crush

[Marcus]

The update on the situation is that I got rejected.
Things were a bit awkward but we managed to talk it out and I think things won't be awkward in the future, at least not long-term.
Thank you all for your input and advice, though, it helped me a lot with coming to grips with my own feelings and insecurity.

Getting rejected is a bummer. It's like any other thing where we had a desired outcome that we didn't get, but relationship stuff like this always seems to have extra stink because we put so much pressure and value on whether or not someone wants to smush reproductive bits with us.

The valuable part of the exchange, however, comes after. You've been bold and told them something that could make things a little awkward, now we find out if you are both able to embrace being adults and just add it to what you know about your association. They don't have sexual attraction to you, and you do have sexual attraction to them, and it is now out in the open. If you guys are both being emotionally above board this could be one of those events that brings you together and allows you to deepen/solidify your existing relationship, OR at least one of you is not prepared to deal with that kind of high level adulting and the relationship takes a negative turn.

Either way, our associations are solid, respectful, and healthy, not because we never have disagreement but because we *do* have awkward moments and disagreements and treat each other well as a result. Those are the relationships work keeping.