God this is probably going to be so long im sorry in advance

I made a post back in the summer asking about my crush and if he even likes me as a person, and since then not a whole lot has changed but there is a very recent very strange new development. So, I like this person (lets call him apple), but i recently learned that a friend of mine also likes him. I didn't tell her that I like him too, because I was scared and didn't want to start drama, and i also tried to stop liking him but that obviously didn't work in the slightest.

I've had a suspicion for a while now that this friend also liked apple, but i didn't want to make any assumptions. That being said, I learned also that apple does, in fact, have a crush on someone as well, but i don't know who. He said that when he's around this person he forgets what to say or do, and i did mention in my previous post (Do you think he likes me, even just as a friend?) that it seemed like he was really awkward and shy around me. I'm really trying hard not to be delusional, but i can't help but think that maybe....? But, i feel bad for even hoping that it's me because I know my friend also likes him, and i don't want to betray her trust or be a scummy friend or anything like that.

I really don't know what to do something like this has never happened to me before; im much more content to just read about aa situation like this occuring in a book of some sort rather than experiencing it in real life. I guess I'm kind of asking for advice, but i also juat really needed to vent. I'm sorry if none of this makes any sense