Please can I have some advice about a guy...?

There is this guy I've known since reception, and recently i've become really good friends with him. we text all the time, but that's just it - i rarely see him like face-to-face, and i'm scared it'll be awkward if i did see him because although we're close, it's because we text all the time. and by all the time, i mean i text him like all day until like midnight. however he hasn't text me for a couple of days. i think i really like him, but i'm not 100% sure, but i know that he likes me because he's told my friend (who he's close to). i genuinely don't know what to do. i think i like him because when i text him, i feel so happy and i can tell him anything. and i always want to speak to him, but i refrain myself for always being the first one to text because i don't want to harass him or anything. and i feel jealous when other girls speak to him. but i don't know, because i've never had a boyfriend or anything, so i don't know what signs or whatever to look for, and then how to act like when i actually see him. i'm worried i suppose, that if we did try something and then it didn't work out, we wouldn't be friends anymore, and i don't think i could be without him - without texting him these past few days i have felt quite lonely :( sorry for the stupidly long message, and i suppose my question is what shall i do?! shall i speak to him about it? he's quite shy, and like doesn't speak about his feelings much, and i don't know if, if i tell him, it will just freak him out completely. or do i just leave it? see what happens? so confused! xxx