Damn, that must have been rough. It's a shame society doesn't support deep friendships between straight men and women, because it sounds like you guys are perfect to be "best friends" platonically but maybe he felt he needed to be in a relationship in order to have that deep of a relationship with a woman?

I'm glad that my husband and I are very sexually attracted to each other, as well as deep friends. But I also have a "best friend" who is a gay man, and we have done things like travel overseas together, talk for hours every week, text every day, have spiritual experiences together, explore fandoms together - he's literally me in another body. With just enough difference to keep things interesting.