How do I get out of the friend zone/friend with benefits zone?

Well, I’ve been ‘’seeing’’ or ‘’dating’’ (what ever you call it) a guy for about 3 months now. When I was 14 we were really close friends but then we grew apart because he’s 2 years older than me and was focused on getting himself back into mainstream school. Anyway I dumped to him on my first day at college and he was surprised and glad to see me again as it had been about 2 years without no contact. Well we have met up everyday at college in are spare time we’ve been hanging around at each others houses and just enjoying each others company. About 2 months of this went on and I ended up sleeping at his house because he live’s about 10 miles away from me and I missed the last bus. Well things happened and we ended up sleeping together. I don’t regret it at all we are still friend and its not changed anything if it has I think it’s just made us closer. So I text’d him the next day saying ‘It’s just made me like you more and I feel closer to you’ and he replied with ‘I’m not ready to rush into relationship at the minuet but I like the way we are’ (meaning we can tell each other anything and also enjoy each others company and as well have sex without making anything uncomfortable). I have all these strong feelings towards him that it’s hard to hold in to myself sometime. I did at one point tell him I might be able to see him for a while because I was ill. With that he replied say ‘awwwwh mush (mush being my nickname) you okay i’m going to miss seeing you everyday. Do you wan’t me to ring you and try and make you feel better’

I honestly think he’s ready for a relationship if not now within the next month or two. I just don’t know how to bring the conversation up because I don’t want to wait until he doesn’t because i’ll be waiting for ever.

Well he keeps becoming more ‘relationshipy’ around me more now we had sex (we only did it once). He calls me nearly every night. He calls me mush. He hold my hand in public. He make me feel whole inside when i’m around him. I’ve never felt this way before when around someone I like. I wouldn’t say I love him either because it takes time to love someone.

The main reason I think he thinks he’s not ready for a relationship is that he was cheated on by his ex. He told me he was very upset for a while because it was his best friend who she cheated on him with.

I honestly have no clue what to do about everything. I love it the way we are together I wouldn’t change that for anything but It would be nice if I didn’t feel like I was just a friend of which he slept with and showed affection too. I would like to be a girlfriend but I don’t know what to say to him.

Please can I have some help on what to say or do it would help me very much

Many thanks, Holly :)