So, I have a Crush

I have a crush that I have known from a year, and we have a great time together. We r quite compatible and get along well. I have some feelings for him, from the time we met really. We had an instant connection and we r in about the same place in our lives. I graduate college soon and he graduates high school next summer(I graduated a year early, besides we r about 7-8 months apart) he's really sweet and we have flirted with each other. Not excessively cuz that would be weird. I'm stuck because I've had this happen before and when I tell my true feelings, I get thrown in the friend zone, or they never talk to me again😩 I don't wanna lose a friend but haven't we proved the test of time?