Okay, this is a pretty common story.
I would say every guy on this forum has been through something exactly the same or, at least, had a best friend who went through something exactly the same.
History repeats itself. Stories like this repeat themselves. If you listen to what has happened before, you will know which way to go in your particular situation.
First, you do care about her more than as a friend which puts some bounds around how it goes. Here are the odds on how the rest of the story goes.
Odds:
1. 30% of the time the guy never puts a single move on the girl.
a. 80% of those situations, the guy ends up heart-broken, maybe for years at a time. The girl and the friends-thing slowly breaks down his psyche. He loses respect from everyone that sees what is going on, especially the women. She rubs every guy she fvcks in his face. Sometimes it seems that the woman is getting some kind of perverse pleasure in stringing him along, breaking down a man. He eventually moves on, a broken man for a time.
b. 10% of the time, the girl puts the moves on the guy but the guy backs off because he is still too scared of "ruining" the friendship even though he wants her bad. Nothing ever happens and he ends up at 1a.
c. 10% of those situations, the girl puts the moves on the guy and the guy goes for it and they live happily ever after.
2. 70% of the time, the guy eventually puts a move on the girl (maybe months and months after the friendship started.) Sometimes he escalates his moves 1 step at a time. End-results are the same however.
a. 60% of those times, the chick expresses total shock (in the best spin-doctor spin-ese possible - someone noted chicks are really good spin-doctors - I like that way of putting it.) She knows full well she was leading him on the whole time. She says "But we are just friends." Then she throws him a life-line by saying "maybe we can get together after I get to know you better, after we keep going shopping and stuff for the next 2 or 3 months / some definitive date well into the future like graduation." The guy thinks he finally has a chance and waits obediently for her to make up her mind. She, of course, thinks "Damn I'm good. I just bought myself another few months of leading a puppy dog around. It worked again, just like it worked 10 times before." The cycle repeats itself quite a few times and he ends up at 1a.
b. 10% of those times, the chick expresses total shock. "But we are just friends" she says. She is so disgusted, that she ignores him for a long time after. But at least he knows.
c. 10% of those times, the chick expresses total shock. "But we are just friends" she says. She is surprised and quits leading him on now and they end up being actual friends afterward. The guy gets over it fairly easily.
d. 10% of those times, the chick expresses total shock. "But we are just friends" she says. She thinks about it for a few days and realises she actually likes "Unknown". She comes back to him a few days later hoping to tell him how she feels. He totally blows her off, however, before she has had a chance to say anything. He is just so pissed off at her. Nothing happens after, they won't be friends anymore.
e. 10% of those times, the chick expresses total shock. "But we are just friends" she says. She thinks about it for a few days and realises she actually likes "Unknown". She comes back to him a few days later hoping to tell him how she feels. It takes her awhile for her to build up the courage but she finally blurts it out. They live happily ever after.
Going by the odds, unknown, there is little chance of this working out.
There is much higher chance that you will continue to be lead around like a little puppy dog until you are broken man. Don't let this happen.
The only chances you've got, is:
- Wait till she puts a move on you (odds 30% times 10% or 3%)
- Make a real definitive move on her leaving no doubt about what your intentions are. Stop now and wait a few days till she can make up her mind and re-slot you from friend to lover (Chicks don't change their slots on the spot. They take a few days to think about it, talk to their friends about it.) Wait till she comes to you now (give her a chance to build up the courage to say something.) When she says she wants you too, go full bore and don't pansy out. Major passion and sex is called for (odds 70% times 10% or 7%)
Those odds sound low don't they? 3% and 7%. Actually those a probably a little high.
Move on as soon as you find out if you are actually in the other 90% of history in this situation. And find out soon.