Are there any others out there like this or am I just crazy?

I’m a 54 year old gay man about to be 55 who is friends with a 28 year old straight man about to be 29. The best way to describe this is that he is the kid I will never have and I love him that way and once we became close I told him all of that. Since this blowup I'm about to tell you about that happened Sunday all of my friends and family have asked me if I am in love with him romantically. He is like my kid. He calls me and shares things and vice versa. They all say – the 4 I’ve talked to anyway- it sounds like your emotional connection to him is stronger than his to you. My response to the romantic question has been, when you feel that way about someone you fantasize about them. That doesn’t happen. I never asked to be his friend, he just came up one day (in a professional environment, we are not co-workers I am just in the same building most days) and said let's go get breakfast. So we did. That and many times after. And we talk about anything and everything. I can give you a shit ton of examples, but two good ones are we had breakfast this one time about 3 months ago. We were there talking for 3 hours, and after we left he texted me, not me him, him me, and we texted for another 3 hours even though we had just departed. Another one, out of tons, last week he got some bad news and wanted to know if he would see me that day. I said no, what’s wrong. And he said it was just bad. I said, are you ok? He said I’m pretty upset right now. I said call me and he did and we talked. When he’s out of the country or on holiday he will text me out of the blue and tell me he misses home, etc. I don’t initiate that. I am minding my own business. Point is, we have this huge emotional bond and people tell me- none of these people are gay which is why I’m posting here- that his connection to me is not as strong as mine is to him. I’m like really? You call me and tell me things, and ask me for help with this and that. The age thing bothers him, and make a too long story short already, I texted him Sunday and told him goodbye, that I knew the friendship was just too hard for him. We had just met Friday for lunch. He had pissed me off about something the night before and he called to apologize and asked me to lunch; he also brought one of his new pups. Pups he had me pick out, two brothers. He wanted me to see him. But then I started processing all the stuff we go through when he said it weirds him out which wasn’t recently but has happened twice. So yesterday out of the blue I say goodbye on text. So he said ok, and he admitted that our friendship has made him uncomfortable on a personal and professional level, and that he was going to change his phone number so I could not contact him again. Before he did I texted that I didn’t mean it that I was just frustrated but he did it anyway. Our situation requires we see each other almost every day. So I went ahead and went in today. And he acted pretty much normal except he didn’t kid around with me a lot. And he didn’t throw me any miniature candies like normal. But he came in and talked and that was normal. A couple times actually. Thing with that tho is this: about 18 months ago when we started getting close I told him how I thought he was a great person and all this stuff. He went off on me and said that I didn’t know him at all, that all I saw was the façade he puts on at work. We’ve worked through a lot since then and even a month or so ago and old friend met him for lunch one day and later told me that my friend had told him I had helped him through a lot this year. And since then it’s evident like the last holiday he took I didn’t hear from him because he was genuinely having a good time. So anyway, today we were ok. Even though I was pretty much histrionic yesterday and called my friend who’s a pastor at 4 in the morning and his old pastor who has called me twice today. They all say give him space, which I am cool with. Today went fine, we chatted (nothing about this), and he even came in later to continue talking about something we had started earlier. SO I can and will give him space and I’m not upset like the weekend. I just feel my family and friends are telling me I am feeling something I’m not. His old pastor did ask me Sunday night (I bothered him then and Monday morning) would I be ok with a romantic relationship with him if he wanted that. I said yes but that it would be very weird and could not imagine it, and would not want it. The other day after we talked he called me back from the office phone instead of the cell. I saw it on the ID. I said hello but he just hung up. I didn’t ask him about it cause it’s happened before. Last Sunday I was going to go get our supper and I had to go to another room and said I’d brb. I was gone for a minute and I get a text that says are you going to get food? So I walked down there and said yeah I’m going in a minute let me finish this. And I turned to go back. He called my name and I turned around and said I’ll brb. So then I get a text that says never mind I’ll go get my own food. I walked down there again and asked what was wrong I said I was going to go get it and I was going now, to give me his debit card. He said no, you disrespected me, that he called my name 3 times and I walked away. I said no I heard you once and I said I’d brb. He said no you disrespected me. I said well if you’re going to the same place will you get mine if I give you the money and he said no. So I went to the car. No skin off my back I didn’t do anything wrong. Then he walks out there and comes to the car window and hands me his debit card. I said I don’t know why you said I disrespected you, you know how I feel about you. He smiles and says yeah I know, you tell me you love me. And he knows that. Final point: Am I crazy to think this kid gives a fuck about me and values this friendship which is why he contacts me and we share all this stuff – I mean hell the pups paperwork are actually in my name because he didn’t want to deal with the breeder. We’ve went to a sports game and eat out and hang out at his job like for hours. And yet the emotional connection is not equal? Like I said I’m cool with the space thing, I am. It was my fault. His former pastor (who is cool as shit and gay friendly) tells me the way I perceive, for example, the texting for 3 hours after the 3 hour breakfast, if just a fact, that it's not that he is connected to me like that. But no one else does that. And he has few friends, same here. But am I wrong about that connection being the way it is? And please no cynical comments or things like you’re in love with him yeah I am but not that way and he knows that. Comments? Suggestions?