I think that if it's meant to be, then he will continue to stay in touch with you after he goes off to college. He will continue to value you and put effort into maintaining a bond with you, even when it's not easy and convenient anymore. I think that then you will know the truth. I also think that if he does have feelings for you, it is his responsibility to make the first move, because he's been telling you about some other gal he's interested in. That puts the ball in his court if he has a thing for you, because expecting you to make the first move after that would mean that he expects you to put your neck on the line and be extremely vulnerable while he has no skin in the game. So my personal 2 cents opinion advice is to wait and see what happens when he goes off to college.