It can be! 
My sister and I both married our rebounds. It’ll be 10 years married in a month for me, plus several years dating/living together on top of that; my sis has been with her guy for several years, married the last two.
And it can’t be rebound sex if they are not having any. Or weren’t. Or something. You were not sleeping with the guy, right pbbth?
Are you sure this is a good idea? Any progress you make towards getting over him will be completely undone by that visit, and the (fun but not a big deal for him but deeply significant to you) fooling around that probably happens will not help. Do yourself a favor and don’t see him until you aren’t in love with him anymore, seriously.
Been there, done that. The fastest method is to cut off contact, saying you’re busy in your new life. Then get out and get that new life going. Try to put yourself in positions where you meet at least one new person every day; eventually you will find new friends and someone who loves you, too.
I didn’t do that. I was miserable for a year and a half because I tried not to lose him as a friend. I tried to justify my reasoning by saying all our friends were mutual friends, so I couldn’t avoid him. Once I actively started trying to avoid contact, it made things easier for me but it took me too long to get to that point.
Here’s the thing: the guy I was in love with knew I was in love with him and I think he unconsciously used that knowledge to bolster himself at times when he needed it. As I started to pull away, he increased his attempts to contact me and keep me where he wanted me - in love with him. Once my head cleared, I could see that and it made me resent him to an extent. That more than anything is what lessened the friendship for me. Be careful that your friend doesn’t do that to you.
Amen.
Having him come visit is a really terrible, stupid idea. There’s nothing in it for you but more unrequited love and heartbreak.
Look, take it from me, I’ve been through this (and take it from all the other folks who have been through it): You need to stop seeing him, stop talking to him, stop stop stop. Sooner or later you will learn this lesson and no matter when that is, years from now, I absolutely, 100% guarantee that you will wish you’d learned it sooner than you did. Please take our advice and stop seeing him now and save yourself more heartbreak.
Eventually, you won’t love him anymore, if you stop letting him into your life. But it takes time, so start now.
Exactly. And it doesn’t have to be done in a mean way, like “I’m cutting you out of my life because you don’t reciprocate my feelings, you bastard!” Why not level with him about how you feel and tell him you can’t see or speak to him until it’s over in your heart, so that you can truly be a friend instead of a pseudo-friend with ulterior motives? If he’s really your friend, he’ll understand and voluntarily give you the space you need. Then YOU can re-establish contact if and when you’re ready, and it’ll be a real friendship and not something that hurts you.
Not for a solid commited relationship…but for a quick band aid on some post breakup loneliness, hell yeah.
As others have stated, stay busy and break off contact. You can’t change their feelings, they either have them or not.
There’s this one girl I missed really bad for years after I broke up with her. We stayed in contact as good friends but we never got back together. But that was enough to keep me going, keep my hopes up. If your feelings are really that strong you’re better off not staying in contact, find things you like to do and do them. Get a hobby, travel, explore. Or date, practice makes perfect.