Did I experience grooming? [20F] [40M]

I apologize if this isn’t the right place for this, and feel free to remove it, mods. I’m feeling scared and uncertain about what to do. I’m a 20-year-old female working at a laid-back job where most of my coworkers are around my age (15-early 20s). We all get along really well. My boss, a 40-year-old man, is somewhat lonely and awkward, and a lot of us casually text him about work or other topics. One night, I reached out to him about a schedule change, and he started sharing his frustrations about his day. It felt a bit strange, but wanting to be friendly, I replied with supportive comments. This initiated a lot of texting and more interactions at work. After about a month, he confessed that he had a crush on me. Unsure of how to respond, I avoided the topic and provided vague answers about my feelings. I genuinely liked him as a friend, even though the situation felt uncomfortable, so I kept communicating with him. Over the next five months, I found myself being his emotional support, taking on the roles of caregiver, girlfriend, and therapist. He began referring to me as his “best friend” and expressed that he didn’t know what he would do without me. While I initially enjoyed our closeness and felt empathy for his struggles, it eventually became overwhelming. He constantly sought reassurance that I didn’t dislike him and needed my attention. It started to feel uncomfortable to me. Once I transitioned to college, I realized our relationship was not as healthy as I had previously thought. I felt uneasy every time he would message me. He even wrote me a letter about his hopes for our friendship and how great he thought I was. Our relationship never became sexual or physical, but I worry that if I hadn’t been his employee, things might have escalated. He often found excuses to touch my arm or head, would take sneaky pictures of me, and shared inappropriate sexual jokes and memes. I’m conflicted about whether I was taken advantage of, as I genuinely liked him for a time and even felt a bit of a crush. However, reflecting on it now, I feel embarrassed because I know I wouldn’t be interested in someone so much younger, especially if they were my employee. Looking back, I sense that I may have been manipulated in some way. However, during most of it, I didn’t realize it. My friends are suggesting that I was groomed, but I’m unsure. Could anyone offer guidance?