Bestie says he has feelings for me

I have been close to a guy since college, but it’s not a romantic thing. He thinks it is, which causes a lot of awkwardness. He says he wants to give me time to think about this possibility, but I already know how I feel. How can I get him to accept that I don’t have any interest in him? If I say anything directly and it sounds too harsh, I worry that he may choose to not be friends anymore. If that happens, I will be sad because we have a great friendship. It’s just unfortunate that he thinks of me this way and expects me to reciprocate. I don’t know what to do.
If your friend doesn’t want to accept your honesty, he is declining your friendship too. It may be painful, but it is also proof that this isn’t someone you can have any kind of relationship with because the idea of acceptance is missing. He may want to give you time, but it is irrelevant given that you have explained your position. Awkwardness may be inevitable because a lot of men struggle to understand that women have minds of their own, but the onus of dealing with that isn’t on you. If he can’t accept you as a friend, he doesn’t respect your right to feel a certain way, and that should worry you.

My boyfriend and I have been together for two years and, in that time, he has only met my friends three or four times. He always avoids meeting them because he says they aren’t the kind of people he gets along with. It feels selfish because I go out of my way to meet his friends. What can I do about this? Is it a sign that this relationship is not built on mutual respect?
It is definitely a sign of selfishness, and you should question this relationship because there appear to be double standards. Making an effort is a sign that someone cares about you, which is missing here.