I [19M] confessed to my crush [19F] but now want to stay friends. How do I handle this?

I am not trying to be friends after getting rejected. That is not the situation. I actually confessed to her about three months ago, and we both agreed to take things slow so we could get to know each other better and see where it goes.

The problem is that after a few months of talking, I realized I might have only had a crush on her and I do not really see her as someone I want to date long term. Part of it is that she broke up with her ex only about nine months ago. I do not want to get into something that feels like it is set up to end with both of us hurt. She also mentioned that she is avoidant, and after dealing with an avoidant girl before, I know I do not like that dynamic at all. I just do not want to deal with that again.

At the same time, I feel conflicted. One part of me wants to stop things now, but another part of me is curious about what could happen even though I already know it probably will not end well. It feels like I let things go on too long, and now backing out feels wrong.

What makes this worse is that she is actually starting to like me back. She says I love you, checks in on me, and does all those sweet couple things. She is a genuinely kind girl and I do not want to hurt her because I cannot make up my mind. It feels like I set her up for heartbreak without meaning to. She is opening up to me little by little and telling her the truth right now feels like the worst possible timing.

I want to go back to being friends, but I do not know how to do that without hurting her even more. Any advice on how to handle this?