My best friend & I are now juniors & have known each other since 7th grade. He's been liking me since then & I started catching feelings our sophomore year. He's kinda getting the hints that I've dropped before but I haven't declared it. I want to date him but I want to wait. Right now just doesn't feel like it's the right time. However if I wait longer, i feel like he will get discouraged & give up. He's already been waiting for 4 years, could he wait any longer?

Btw: I was joking when I said "yeah probably." He knows how sarcastic i can be