this is just my theory on girls & guys being friends:
there's ALWAYS an attraction of some kind.
rarely can a boy befriend a woman & not want to pork her, if he's not gay. being gay or a lesbian is a big disclaimer, then neither party would want the opposite sex.
if a guy has a friend who's a girl and he's NOT gay, he's thinking how he wants to pork her. after they pork, if they were friends before that long enough, they will probably remain friends if it doesn't work out.
HOWEVER, if a girl has a friend who's a guy and she wants him something badly, then she'll probably get him (if he's not TOTALLY flamming & granted she's not totally a dog.) & even then, her looks may not matter if the wind is blowing the right direction that day.
the thing is, men are typically game for sex, while women can build up to it, if the guy knows how to 'play the right music'.
every girl has got the 'right song'.
so if you're a guy and want a girl who's your friend to "like, like you..."then, i think the best thing you can do is, "play her song". "her song" is what she wants. give her the best of you...whatever that is. make her believe you're the knight in shinning armour & you can dance her off her feet until the morning sun shines through...