How can I (21M) handle this situation without driving away a person (22F) I value?

I (21M) been close friends with this girl (22F) for about five years. We saw each other almost every day, and over time, I developed feelings for her. She’s someone I’ve always felt completely safe with. She is someone I could open up to about things that I couldn’ttalk to anyone else about.

Recently, she told me that she had liked me for years too, and that she felt the same kind of emotional safety with me. On impulse, we had a more intimate interaction.

But afterward, she told me that she felt that way because of how close we are as friends, and that she wanted to shut down any romantic feelings before things became more complicated or painful for either of us.

I want to be in a relationship with her. But if that’s not possible, and we stay just friends, I’m not sure I can be my genuine self around her anymore without hoping for something more. This is what scares me most – I do not want to put up a facade when I interact with her and destroy what we already have.

Some context I guess: My two past romantic relationships have been with people I was emotionally honest with, but that honesty was never reciprocated. The girl I am writing about in this post is the only person I have had romantic feelings for that I can trust to be emotionally honest with me.

TL;DR:
I (21M) have been close friends with a girl (22F) for 5 years and developed feelings. She admitted she had liked me too, and we had a brief intimate moment. Afterward, she said it was just due to our deep friendship and wants to stay platonic. I want a relationship, but I’m scared I can’t stay just friends without hoping for more.