Need advice. I’m a college student and I was close friends with a girl for about 2 years. Over the last several months we became much closer. We used to talk a lot, go out together, send each other reels daily, call each other "bacha," had a good morning/good night culture, shared doodles, heart emojis, and affectionate messages. We even said things like "love you yaar" to each other. She would share photos from her day and personal things with me, and I developed feelings for her.
At one point she mentioned another guy she had gone out with as a friend, and I realized I was getting jealous and emotionally attached. She had previously told me she wasn't interested in a relationship because of a toxic ex and because she believed that two close friends dating can ruin both the friendship and the relationship.
Eventually I confessed my feelings. She said she isn't ready for a relationship and repeated that she doesn't think close friends should date, but she still wanted us to be friends.
I tried to stay friends, but every time I opened our chat I felt sad, heavy, and hopeful that maybe she'd change her mind. Because of that I asked for some space. We didn't talk for about 5 days.
Then she messaged me saying she missed me. Since then we've started talking again. She's genuinely a good person, cares about me, and I genuinely enjoy spending time with her. The problem is that I still have feelings and I can't completely get rid of the hope that one day she'll change her mind.
Now she's invited me to hang out again in a few days. Part of me really wants to go because I enjoy being around her. Another part of me thinks it's unhealthy because spending more one-on-one time together will probably make me more attached and make moving on harder.
What would you do in my situation? Stay friends and meet up, or take more distance until the feelings fade? Am I overthinking this, or is it normal to need more space after being rejected by someone you're still attached to?