Has this ever happened to anyone?

I have a guy friend who has stuck with me through my personal hard times and has seen me at my very worst and best and for a very long time we hated each other and couldn't be in the same area without arguing with each other but after all of that he is still there for me and treats me differently than everyone else. There's a connection between us and we are very comfortable with each other. But recently every time we see each other he will come up and fist bump me or high five or just do something stupid for our hands to touch and sometimes they just stay together for a few seconds longer than normal and its comfortable, like neither of us want to take our hands away. And when were talking he will look at me with this horrible longing in his eyes and he will always look me right in the eyes and I am the one that ends up looking away but its not uncomfortable. It's not awkward. It's like an intense connecting gaze. But even though that's been happening sometimes he seems really distant. Almost like he doesn't understand and he doesn't want to make it worse for himself. Pretty much all our friends and our parents are sure we will end up together. And we both know there's a connection between us and we've talked about it at great length. I've never dealt with anyone as difficult as him.

Question: does this mean anything? Or has anything like this happened to anyone and what did you do? Sorry this is a strange question and I don't really know what to categorize it as either. Lol