HELP!!

First of all tell your friend to put on the brakes. Love cannot be forced and you cannot begin a relationship out of thin air. Just tell her thanks for wanting to help you out but you'd rather do it yourself because you want him to go out with you, because you asked him and not because he was forced to by someone else. If your friend asks he might be obliged to go and he would do it to not feel guilty about turning you down.

People are shy when it comes to love, others can help but there is a limit to what they can do. There are things you must do yourself. Since you said you are really good friends you can just ask him out, not on a date first, just out as friends to a dinner or a movie something simple like that. Try spending more time together.

The secret to knowing if he likes you back is through words. Talk to him and share with him intimate secret things about you, this will show him that you trust him and you consider him someone special. If he opens up and does the same then you will know he cares for you the same way too. This will take time, and like I said you can't force things to happen because they never turn out well.

Take your time with it, slowly pick up the courage to do it for yourself. But for now, tell your friend you'd rather she help you than go asking him on your behalf, I'm sure she would love to help you if you asked her :)

Talk to him, maybe ask him out yourself. Having a third party do stuff for you isn't good. I know your friend's doing this on her own, but still. you know what I mean.