Ever been in love with your childhood buddy?

Many friends have told me about how their friends have proposed to them and they got embarassed, but I have to confess that it was the reverse case for me: I am in love with my childhood friend and want to propose to him.
Neither was he a part of my gang, nor was I! But we shared a gang feeling ever since we met - in third standard. Funnily I remember tying rakhi to him and his elder bro - i stopped after I reached seventh standard. Maybe I thought it to be kiddish...
So, should'nt it have been a secure feeling to know that you love your childhood friend? Someone who has shared your ups and downs, pulled you out of the depths of despair and put you on Cloud Nine too...And the day, I realised that I was in love, very naturally, I confided in my childhood friend. Her maiden reaction was - "Wow! I am excited" and in the next moment, we simultaneously reacted: "No ways"! The reason being - how can you fall in love with your childhood buddy!
Insane as it sounded, in our own juvenile way, we decided to trash the whole thing - helping me 'overcome' rather ignore the feeling. We even promised each other not to mention this to anyone in the gang and then partied that night. But it stuck on - I changed cities - went to Kerala to study, then later went to work in Bangalore. All through, I kept missing him. I kept dilly-dallying in between 'should I' or 'should'nt I'...The next when I met him in Mumbai after a good long 4 years, I suddenly started feeling positive all over again.
And love is not something that goes away that easily. Whenever I spoke to him or the time he ignored my calls as he was busy with work - I truly missed spending time with him! I got a good opportunity - and could have made use of it too - to go to Nagpur for his elder bro's wedding. I was far too excited...I simply could not stop blushing the moment he came to pick me up from my aunt's place to his house. But somehow, I never mustered courage to tell him. Life goes on - as they say - in a cliched manner. We still remember the good old days that we spent together - about the days when I used to play in his house - three of us - his bro and me tumbling and wrestling each other, playing video games, later sharing notes about our poor academics then our bosses, sour relationships, turning to each other for 'love' advice etc - I simply feared losing all this! Almost a decade later, when I look back, I laugh and cherish that feeling. But at the same time, somewhere in the deep recesses of my heart, I still regret why I did not tell him. But you never know when life takes a sudden U-turn. And all the same, I still have hopes left. Motivated by buddies, I feel am ready to go pop the question! So all you guys and girls out there, take a risk and tell your best friend if you love him or her. You never know what might happen next...One thing I learnt from a close buddy of mine - she says - At least U wont have a regret that u didnt listen to ur heart at the right time.