How to cancel a date?

I have a second date on Thursday but I want to cancel... I want to cancel because I can tell he is starting to like me more than I am and I don’t want to lead him on. He is in my friend group and I realized he’s only ever going to be a friend to me.

I didn’t feel any romance towards him on the first date, but I figured id say yes to a second date when he asked just to see and try again. But after thinking about it, I don’t want to lead him on and/or waste his time and would rather cancel...

I don’t want to lie and make up an excuse, but I’m scared to tell him that I want to cancel because I don’t like him like that! I don’t want to hurt his feelings. And yes, I could just go on the date anyways. But at this point in time, I feel like I would be leading him on if I still went. My gut tells me it’s best not to go on the date. What should I do?!