Firstly, I'm single and happy, not desperate to date at the moment and have had enough of dating apps etc so not out there looking for someone. I have a male friend who I've known for a long time, who I find very attractive, and who I care about a lot. A couple of years ago we came close to dating but he was having some mental health issues and I knew that it wouldn't work out and that we were better as friends. He then started seeing someone and had a pretty disastrous relationship due to issues which had put me off dating him. This prompted him to seek professional help and he is in the process of making a whole load of life changes to improve his mental health.
Last night I met up with him for the first time in a few months and just fancied the pants off him. We had such a good time and he seems to be in a better place. But, he is still fairly early in the process of 'rebuilding' himself so, I don't want to tell him how I feel at the moment, both because it would introduce a complicating factor in his life which he probably doesn't need now, and also because I'm a bit wary, one good night out does not mean that he is now ideal boyfriend material and I want to see what happens over the next few months.
Has anyone been in a similar situation in which they have waited for circumstances to change before dating someone and had a happy ending? Or am i a fool, for thinking that if i give things time, we will end up together when the situation is right for both of us? I feel like it's a bit of a romcom senario where in the movie, love would win through in the end, but in real life things don't happen like that.