Back to friendship - are we on the right track?
This guy and I have been dating exclusively for 2 months. A couple days ago we had a very open and honest talk about us and we both decided that it's better to be friends for now. He already told me a while ago that he still isn't ready to fully committ again and can't give 100% right now since he broke up with his ex 5 months ago (they were together for 2 years) and hasn't been single for the last 8 years. I thought I could handle the situation and we said we would just take things slowly. However, everytime we saw each other after that I felt that he was holding back which made me hold back in return. I like him so much and I always want to be around him but I realized that I couldn't really be myself because of that situation and it was killing me.
So I told him that I thought I can handle the situation but that I realized I can't. He told me that if he would just listen to his heart then it would be clear to him but his head tells him that he's not ready yet. He took my hand and was holding it all the time while he told me very personal things. He said that he's falling in love with me but he doesn't want to ruin things cause he isn't totally emotionally available yet. He's worried that if things go on that way, it would drive me away from him cause he's walled-up sometimes. We agreed that we should stop having romantic dinners, sleeping together, etc. It was very sad but I knew it was the right thing to do. He also said that he doesn't want to date other people again and that this is only about us and about getting to the point where he can have a serious relationship with me and not about wanting to date other people again. He also made me promise him that if in a while from now I think that I can't do the friendship thing anymore and it's either all or nothing for me, that I won't just walk away from him and disappear but that I will tell him so that he can do something about it.
In the end he looked me deeply in the eyes and told me that he really likes me and that he knows he can't expect me to wait for him but he said "Please don't give up on me yet". The way he said it was so intense and he almost looked teary-eyed. I was totally moved. I told him that I really like him too and I don't want to give up on him. It was the most intense moment we ever had. He said that this was all he needed to know.
We hung out at a cafe yesterday, had a great time as always but it was hard for me to be just friends. When I said goodbye he wanted to give me a little kiss but I turned away and just hugged him even though all I really wanted was to kiss him. We'll keep hanging out (he asked me if I want to do sth tonight) but I'm going to miss being close to him so much. Well, if I really can't do it then I'll call him and tell him like he made me promise him.
He is the first guy I ever met where I think he could be the one and I want to do things right. I think my obsession and being in love with him is turning into love and I don't want to lose him. I'm wondering if I should really act like a friend now, give him a lot of space and hope that he will miss me and that this will make him get over his past faster, or if I should keep in touch a lot and show him every once in a while that I care about him and remind him of what he's missing. I want to give him time but I don't want to risk losing him.
Any advice for me? Does it sound like he's serious and there is a chance? Sometimes I think if he really liked me that much he would be ready already but then again he takes relationships very seriously and wants to be completely over his past and be 100% emotionally available.
