When does pulling away work?

Thank you.
This is just tough and painful to face when you believed someone, your friend, was different and wouldn’t put you through that. And now I have feelings I have to sort out knowing I’ll never be viewed in any higher capacity for him.
Wish there was something more I could do but I guess it’s time to walk.
Any words of wisdom here folks? Pep talk to boost the crushed ego?

Jessica,

“So when you say it has to be for real that’s tough.”
YES, YOU ARE RIGHT, SO “FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT”
Got it?

” …So I wonder and fear if it’s too late for him to see me as something of value. Or if my actions have already diminished that.”
A MAN DOESN’T GIVE VALUE TO YOU, YOUR VALUE IS INSIDE OF YOU, IF HE DOESN’T VALUE YOU THEN IT DOESN’T MEAN YOU ARE NOT VALUABLE. YOU DO NOT NEED HIS APPROVAL, HE IS NOT THE MASTER AND COMMANDER ON YOUR SELF-WORTH, YOU ARE. YOU NEED TO STOP ASSIGNING HIM AS THE DICTATOR ON YOUR WORTH AND HOLD YOUR WORTH INSIDE OF YOU.

You are going to walk away from this FWB because you want more, and you are going to do it for you, right? You may have made some perceived mistakes, but live and learn, take the lesson and move on.

Look, if he wanted you to be his girlfriend you never would have ended up his FWB, sometimes things just don’t work. You only have control of you. Yes, people will sometimes test and take advantage, yes sometimes you meet someone you like but you don’t want to be in a relationship with them, you decide who to keep around and what you will accept.

Remind yourself that you deserve more than what he is giving you, you want more, if you didn’t you would not ask, so you need to do this walking away for your own sense of confidence, not for this guy, for you. Then next time, don’t let yourself get into this situation you are unhappy in. There are other fish in the sea!!!