Assalamualaikum - I'm so confused and need dua and advice

Assalamualaikum, I'm 17 and go to a conservative school. About three months ago I started having feelings for a boy - the first time I've ever felt this way since I joined this school. He's respectful, lowers his gaze, and is very focused on his studies (he has major exams this January). He's not Muslim. We also have a strange amount of overlap in our pasts; we both studied in another country before and there are so many coincidences that I have never experienced before. The week I began liking him, his class (he's a senior) came to ours for revision before exams, and he showed up more in my life. I told a girl who is close to him that I liked him, and she told me I should concentrate on my studies and wait two years until I graduate. That stung because she was right - I did get distracted when he was in my class. That moment made me turn back to Allah after being distant from Islam. I prayed Istikhara asking Allah to bring him closer if he was good for me and to turn him away if not. The next day I found out he knew. He might have thought it was just a random junior liking him and complained to an authority because he had been involved in a rumor before. The teacher was kind and didn't make a deal of it. After that, his behaviour became unpredictable: he would look at me and then quickly look away, get nervous, avoid me, or leave rooms abruptly. I never did anything that would be haram - I didn't text him or speak to him directly. I asked the mutual girl if he would read a letter, but through her he said he was scared it would be found out. For three months I lived in ambiguity, not knowing what he felt. I decided to send a single, final message after his major exam on the 29th of January and I prayed Istikhara about that decision too. I wanted clarity - even if it was a painful “no” - because I couldn't focus on my studies with the uncertainty. Yesterday, 22nd January, his mother passed away. I was in shock and grief. Throughout these three months I did forty nights of Tahajjud; Alhamdulillah, but last night I couldn't make dua without tears and feeling completely helpless. I tried to send condolences but he can't receive messages from people he doesn't follow, so I couldn't even do that. I know I made mistakes by letting feelings grow for someone who is not Muslim. I should have been more careful and I regret letting things go this far. But it happened, and now I feel utterly lost. Everything that felt meaningful for the last three months - the coincidences, the small moments - feels different. I can't look at life the same way. I can't imagine the pain he's going through: he's graduating soon and has major exams this month and in February. I wanted closure but this is beyond that. I'm confused about what any of this means now. Please make dua for him and for me, and please give me advice on what I can do next. I feel so lost and need guidance. Jazakallahu khair.