Rejected by a friend

Back in November I worked up the courage to confess to my best friend how I felt about them. I have been attracted to him for almost five years, and have built a strong friendship that I was really hoping to take deeper. Unfortunately, he turned me down, saying that I was one of his best friends and that even though he cared about me, he just didn't feel the same way. He said he would do anything to stay friends with me, though. So I have spent the last couple of months trying to stifle my feelings for him, because I do want to stay his friend. It's been very hard and emotionally taxing. Lately, though, he's been acting off. We are in a theater company together, and he often goes out of his way to invite me to whatever activity the cast is doing, even if I am not at rehearsals. He is usually a very sarcastic person, but has complimented me many times in the past week in a very genuine manner. I received a card from him at the opening of our last show, expressing his hopes that we get to act together many times in the future. I've been trying very hard to get over my feelings for him, and I understand that I may just be very sensitive to his attention right now, but this all seems somewhat suspect. Any advice would be appreciated.

Do you know what his reasons are for not liking you back in a romantic way? I went through a similar situation before with a friend of mine, and I think he's just a lot more shallow than he will admit (even though he's really not the most attractive guy, lol). But I think it would be helpful to you, especially in helping to get over him, if you could find out the full reasons why. And I was pretty upset with my friend at first, and I didn't even want to be friends anymore, but with a little time, I cooled off and realized I still wanted him to be a part of my life somehow. I don't really know what would be best for you to get over your guy, but pretty much the main way I did was realizing that he wasn't as great as I thought he was, especially if he turned out to be more shallow than I thought. So, he wasn't worth the time, and I was willing to just be friends again. The other thought I have -- which is going to be very stereotypical and possibly slightly offensive, so I apologize beforehand -- do you know for sure what his sexual orientation is? I did/do theater, too, so I know not all guys in it are gay, but I've had plenty of friends who are, lol. So, just wondering if his orientation is definitely known. As for the attention he's been giving you, it's really hard to say without knowing him in person. And it would probably still be even if I did. I'm prone to over-thinking other people's activities as well, and I've learned it's nearly impossible to know anything for sure unless you directly confront them about it. Communication is the most important key in any sort of relationship with another person (be it platonic, familial, romantic), so I would try talking to him again about things first.