Personally, I think that people who can summon up the courage to express their feelings to each other will never lack friends in their lives, but just a boyfriend or girlfriend. So since the other party doesn't like themselves, why should they get together in front of each other?
Even in order not to get deeper and deeper, I will choose to stay away from each other and heal alone. If the confession fails, you can still be friends with each other as if nothing had happened. There are only two situations. Either you love each other too much and really can't live without each other, or you don't like each other so much.
If it is the former case, the love that can't be obtained is really tormenting. I can't be with you as a lover, but I should choose to protect you as a friend. Even if your heart is full of holes, I hope you can be happy. It makes people cry to think about such feelings. If it is the latter, it doesn't matter. Stop loss in time.
Cut off your feelings for each other in time before you love each other deeply, so that two people are still good friends.
In fact, I think, if you really like you in this life, then you should be brave enough to confess, and don't be afraid of failure, so you can't be friends with each other. Sometimes, if you don't work hard for yourself, how can you know the final outcome? Maybe the other person especially likes you in his heart, but he just doesn't have the courage to say it like you.
I find it hard to make sense of feelings. When both sides put the past behind them, it's not bad to be friends with the same interests now. But most friends are casual acquaintances. I think so, but it's not necessary.