Am I in the friend zone...will he ever notice me?

I like my brother's friend. He's everything a girl could ever want in a man. He's an ABSOLUTE gentleman, super respectful, handsome, compionate, and very manly. He's amazing to be around. We talk almost every night via the internet. I usually don't make the effort to talk to him all the time because I'd think he'd realize I liked him, but he always IMs me when I'm on. He's sweet...always asks me how my day went and is very considerate. He cracks jokes with me and he always opens up to me. He tells me about his previous girlfriends and everything. He's very open. He's not a pervert or anything. He's very modest and humble. Am I in the friend zone? I mean, to cover up how I feel about him when I hang out with him, my brother, and my friend (who knows I like him) and she tells him how he should get with me or something, I always say, "He's like a brother to me." What to do? I like him a lot and have for almost 6 years!