Why do I keep thinking of him?

Alright so a few weeks ago my friend dared me to hang out with some people I don’t usually be with. As I said in my last question I’m shy, but that’s just in class, or small-group thing. Anyways, there was this guy that my friend was telling me I liked. I said no. He was a really nice guy, accepted us and was really friendly in general. But I’m in seventh grade, so I’m not thinking about all that ‘I like him’ stuff. I pushed the thought away. The thing is, though, I can’t stop thinking about him, and he’s just so nice to me it’s really complicated to explain. Also, I keep staring at him in class and stuff. We’ve become good friends. I don’t understand why I feel like I ‘like’ him and don’t. Mixed feelings. Any experience might help. Thanks:)