Can friends be something more?

As of late, I've been getting together with an old friend whom I've "dated" in the past. Even though we went our separate ways, we've always been on good terms. Actually, I'd even go so far as to say we're close friends. Today I found out that OhScholarlyOne wants to move away from our friendship and be something more.

Let me backtrack for a minute.

We had gotten together this evening to shoot the shit about how down I've been feeling lately, and at the end of an excellent night, he sorta tells me that he still likes me. It came out in a really weird manner, and after it slipped, he made a beeline for the door. I don't blame him really. At the time, all I could do was laugh about it. I don't know why, but I guess it was just my nervous reaction to the whole situation.

To a certain degree I share the same feelings with OhScholarlyOne, but I don't think we're on the same level of "like." I think he may be into it a little more than myself. I'm hesitant in pursuing this any further because I don't want to destroy the friendship we've maintained over the years. Unfortunately, I think things have come to an end, and I feel like an asshole.

He told me that we should just not talk for a while so we can cool things off and see where we are in the future because if we were to see each other now it would be very awkward. VERY awkward. I don't want to not talk to him. I want to be able to say hi every now and again, but alas, I do not think I'll be getting my wish this time.

I feel like an ass for not grabbing life by the balls you know? In my last post I said I was ready for a relationship that is more meaningful than a good fuck every now and again, but at the same time, I heard the word "us" today, and it floored me. I mean, I saw the red flag going up, sirens were blaring, the whole shabang. Maybe I'm not ready for that relationship.

After all of these thoughts floating around my head, I started to picture "what if" scenarios. The kind where you pretend you're in a relationship with this person and try to see where things will go. To be honest, it scared the crap out of me. Why you ask? I do not know. Why would I be scared of him? Why would I not want to be with a guy who would treat me right and be a real man? According to OhScholarlyOne, he would never ask me to pee on him, but that's a whole other can of worms.

I feel like I'm way to far into the friend-zone to pursue a meaningful relationship with him. He says that I'm making the biggest mistake of my life. Am I though? The question on the table today is can you turn a friend into something more? And if things don't work out, can you still be friends after?