Michelle, I am very late to this party but I wanted to say I think you are very intuitive about this man. Your feelings are something to listen to. While he seems like someone you’ve enjoyed being around, he also seems like a difficult person, with perhaps some emotional problems. You are very wise in my opinion to see him exactly how he is and be real about who he is and how he is. We can’t change other people, that is so true, yet many of us spin our wheels for years and even decades trying to get someone to be a better partner material. He confuses you because he tells his friends one thing about you and tells you another. He may tell his friends things to make them like him better or admire him and he may tell you things that keep the box around the relationship. I think that hooded figure with hidden face is his real self. Some people keep secrets and live a secretive life. I encourage you to see him for who he is and don’t tell yourself a story to fill in that dark face area. Time away may give you more clarity. People show us who they really are if we pay enough attention. I wish you the best and I admire your maturity and ability to listen to your intuition and accept reality. PS: I am not sure I believe in unconditional love. Sometimes this is sold like a fairy tale, that if we love unconditionally then all problems will be solved. It seems to fall into codependency in my opinion. When we are not treated well by someone, it tends to diminish our love for them and sometimes our own self love. This is just how the human heart often works.