Of course one shouldn't force anything on you or anyone else for that matter. Love is meant to be a gift (fully, faithful, fruitful, and free), free of strings or reasons otherwise. When it becomes a mutal gift, that is where the sparks really fly.
Your male friend there handled the situation wrongly. That doesn't invalidate his feelings for you, but in reality his feelings didn't stand the test of time or trial: the unrequited nature of those feelings he had. If he had truly loved you, he would have acknowledged your lack of mutal feelings, moved forward as friends with you, and have gotten over his blinding obession for you. That, and I doubt he "
decided" he loved you. That's a bit harsh. Feelings are rarely "decided." Isn't that by definition, right?
And watch how you say "never"...superlatives are hard to prove, even harder to maintain.