Barrel of Confusion

Hellooo and many thanks for reading this thread :)

ok. To get to the point, I am either suffering from an over active imagination or the guy I am dating is not ready for a committed relationship.

Him and I share mutual friends and one of our friends thought it would be awesome if him and i were together, based on our personalities. He's a chef..works late nights. I'm an artist...i have the day shift. We have been dating since last summer and we talked online and via text 2 months before actually meeting. He had been single for a year when we started dating and for me it had been 2 years. In the beginning I noticed that he didnt really make much of an effort to ask me to hang out. His friends (mostly female, but males too) were asked all the time. We dont really live that close and he doesnt have a car, so i can understand why i wouldnt be invited to every thing..and thats ok.
so now he texts me every few days and doesnt respond to many of my text that dont involve a question. He used to text me "have a good day" and things like that, but not anymore.
I used to be a very happy person but now i find myself sad all of the time because I'm so confused about the mixed signals. When him and I are hanging out together and amongst friends, its really awesome. But when we are apart its like I am forgotten. He's a really nice guy and everyone loves him because he has a good heart, etc...but even after all of this time he doesnt even call me his gf. Its something that is assumed...our friends see us as a couple and we do things couples do, but why no title?
I am not one to smother but sometimes i think i am, based on his actions, so i wont text him everyday.
We were both deeply hurt by our past relationships, but it seems to me that he is still in the grieving process.
i talked to him some months ago about why i wasnt included in his plans and how I felt ignored. I even told him that it seemed that I wanted a relationship and he didnt and that I would just leave him alone, and he told me not to go (not to end things), he was sorry and he felt like a failure for making me feel that way.
He made nice effort for a few weeks then it started again. Now he goes up to 4 days without any contact. If someone doesnt answer or text, its ok to assume that they are busy/and or want to be left alone. I understand he works a lot and thats ok....but gee wiz.
Not sure what to do here.
Please ask any questions, i dont want to add this thread novel. Throvel. :P

guys don't like to text, talk on the phone, etc. get used to it.

Are you really young and/or inexperienced? It sounds like it.

After the initial rush, it's perfectly normal for the constant contact to slow down. If things are great when you're together, that's what you need to go with. It's perfectly normal.

i could be both, i recently turned 27 and he recently turned 24. I've experienced a lot in relationships in the past because I have been in many, but this is the first time I've encountered not having a title after a year and not having much contact. Thanks to the both of you for the reply