Need advice !!

I have this male friend that I’ve been friends with for four years now .he’s very sweet, very attractive ,very single. And I have fallen in love with him. My problem is is we are 1090 miles away from each other and I’m scared to confess to him my feelings out of fear of losing him as a friend. He’s an introvert one of those extreme introvert that when a girl tells him how they feel he actually builds a emotional wall between the two and cut off all communication. His family loves me his mother even considers me a daughter already. But he tends to keep his distance with me I tried to text him and call him as much as possible to keep in contact with him but every time we talk it always seems like he’s rushing the conversation so it will end. We used to be roommates and one night when I was coming home from work I did overhear him tell his mom that he thought I was a beautiful girl but he thought of me as a sister yet he took me out on these “dates “the whole time I was still there we even went to see Deadpool together. Please help me I don’t know what to do I also don’t know where I stand with him.