This isn't about you, your expectations and whatever time you choose to invest here, it's about the person we are trying to help. Give the guy a break, it's shit easy to be smart when you're not entrailed by painful emotions, it's easy to say "act" when you don't feel like you've got the world on your shoulders. A crush can make you fly if it is well fed, it can also bring you to your knees if it's not. "Love" is obsession and if it goes badly it can turn ugly.
You know you can strangle of some of your emotions for her, they can just as easily be woken up again. But if you burn too much it will only be painful if you can't let it flow freely. So just cut back on the 'eros' and act on some good old 'agape' in the meantime. You fell in love with her once, I'm sure you will remember why.