How to get a guy to accept the friendzone
Last spring, I started talking more with a guy from my running group, and we studied together a couple of times (same university). I was just getting to know him bc we're in the same major, and I wanted more of a community, but soon after, I got the sense that he had a thing for me. I am not into him. I distanced myself and started being more and more dry. I want to keep on friendly terms to preserve the vibes of the running group. It'd be nice if we could truly just be friends and I didn't have to freeze him out to prevent him from hitting on me, but maybe that's unrealistic.
It's been a year, and he still sends me reels. They're not inappropriate, but I am utterly uninterested. I don't check Instagram often, I never send reels to him, and I react as minimally as possible without fully ghosting him (maybe react with a non-heart emoji, other times leave him on read). Is it not obviously not reciprocated? I talk to him noticeably less than the others in the group, though I'm friendly when we do talk (mostly initiated by him). He recently sent me something about one baby stealing another's bottle. I reacted 👍.
I've been so dry for so long. Bro keeps sending me reels. Advice?