Is it normal for years of unrequited feelings or should i trust my gut

I'm 27 and I have had a crush on (and in my older years, have really really liked and maybe even loved) a guy I've known since I was 5. When I was little, playing make-believe "wedding day" with a friend, he was always the husband I imagined. He was the first boy I slow-danced with at 7-8 years old to Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love to You" at a campground Saturday night dance (still my favorite love song). When I was 9, my family moved from VA to AZ. My brother and his brother are best friends so naturally, we kept in touch, and have actually become really good friends over the years. He is the best man I have ever known. He is honest, caring, trustworthy, loyal, he will do anything to help another person out, etc. I actually totaled his car (a 2001 mustang) when I was 17 (oops) and he forgave me! He and my dad are probably the only men I trust implicitly because I KNOW the kind of person they are. We've both had our own serious relationships over the years but none have seemed to work out and every time I get to visit, I feel this pull towards him again. I can't explain it. Nothing had ever happened between us because one or both of us had been in a relationship during the times we actually got to see each other. We'd go months without talking then out of the blue, he'd text me to see what's been going on. This last summer, I went to visit and we finally hooked up, after many long years of waiting. I've told him my feelings about him and he's told me we'd be dating if I lived there again. However, he's also said he'd be afraid to mess up our friendship (but then agreed when I told him the best relationships start out with friendships). I've tried so hard to find a job in VA with no success. Now he's got a new girlfriend and things seem to be going well. I'm happy for him because he deserves to be happy but I can't shake this feeling that he and I are supposed to be together. It's driving me nuts.