It doesn't really matter what you feel about it if they're still convinced you expect something for them. In my case, I'm not chasing anymore, but the person I was into is freaked out enough by the idea that I might be that they don't feel safe talking to me, and they tell other people I scare them. So in my case, staying way clear is what needs to happen. In yours, if the other person doesn't care that you're into them and they don't feel the same way, then you can probably still be friends. But that also depends on whether you think being around somebody who's never going to feel about you the way you feel about them, and just kind of being alone forever because the person you picked isn't into you, is like, good for your mental health.
Yep. I've dated those guys. That's not about you, then, that's just him. Sounds like he doesn't really have the capacity to be into a human being. I think that's a bigger problem than an age gap.