I'm 22 and in love with one of my best friends who is 26. We click so well and tell each-other everything. He calls me at 2am to talk about his day and we have private jokes that no-one else would get. Naturally however, female friends have started to ask why we're not dating already. I told them he was ok, but too short for me. He happened to overhear (he'd arrived at my house unexpectedly) and from then on started acting cold towards me despite me apologising.
The only reason I said this to my friends is because I needed a reason for them to get off my back. If I told them they'd start acting weird around him whenever he's around and would drop hints that I love him. I don't care about his height and now I'm scared of losing him as a friend. I've been crying about this for days.
What should I do?