What's the best way to ask him if he likes me back?

Okay, so, I have finally come to the decision to ask my crush if he likes me back or not. I've heard a lot of advice from people, but none have struck a cord with me yet. We've been friends for almost a year now, so our friendship may or may not be at stake. The only thing that's stopped me from asking him already, is that I don't know how to tell him that if he doesn't like me the same way, we can still be friends and it'll all be cool. I practice in the mirrors and stuff, but I always sound desperate... :/ Not a good thing. If you could give me some good advice, I'd very much appreciate it. :) Thanks in advance.