Do you think my guy friend likes me? My friends want me to be with him

My guy friend and I are super close. We've been close friends since freshman year in high school. We haven't seen each other since high school so about....4 years. We reunited and back in contact this summer. My friends keep telling me he likes me a lot and he always checks me out. He knows about the guys I dated and he was disgusted. He said if he was my boyfriend I wouldn't have to go though this bullshit.
We looked at prom picture and said, "I'm going to me honest I wish I would switch places with your date. I remember how cruel he was to you. You only said yes because he was hot and good looking. What were you thinking? I warned you about him remember. My friends been telling me I should give him a chance I am so hot for him which I'm not.