<human>: I am 18 F trying to start a relationship with a friend who is 18 M.  We have been meeting on the weekends for a few months now.  We see each other about once per week outside of classes to talk about things that we decide to read in our spare time (kind of like a book club, but it's just the two of us in a little library study room).  I think he's great, and he seems really pleasant and is always open to hanging out more (pretty much the only times he has ever said no to hanging out is when there's a big test or he literally has a class at the time I ask about).  We haven't kissed or anything, but that's probably because I don't make moves like that unless I'm pretty much positive that the guy will be receptive to avoid making it awkward.  I do make attempts to flirt, but as I don't have a lot of experience with it, I'm not sure that he gets the idea.

Anyway, I would really like to ask him about being in an exclusive relationship (boyfriend/girlfriend), but every time that I go into one of our meetings with the mindset to ask, I always back out at the last second.  I usually get too nervous and just frantically think to myself of how hurt I would be if he turned me down.  Afterwards for sure I think of how happy I would be if he said yes, but I can never bring myself to make it to outweigh the fear in the moment.  Should I try to just keep flirting with (at?  :P) him until he gets the message, or should I just force myself to blurt it out at some point?  Something else that I haven't thought of, maybe?  Let me know what you think would be helpful, either to get over my mental block of asking him myself, or in getting him the message more clearly.

Can you succinctly summarize the text in 1-3 sentences?
<bot>: I want to ask out my good friend and kind-of study partner but always chicken out at the last second.  Help!