I think a direct approach is best…try to keep the situation non-serious.
Get a group of you going together somewhere and see if you can just spend some time talking to him. “Hey, a few friends of mine and I are going to go do X this weekend, want to come along?” (Mixed company best.)
*Don’t* use words like ‘love’ (yet) – even if you’d like to. Spend some time around him to see if the spark you feel is only in your head.
…or forget the subterfuge: Just ask him if he’d like to go to a movie or something. He’ll get the idea you’re interested. Guys are fairly easy to trap like that. 😀
Good luck.
