Hi Alpal,
That helps a lot, thank-you! I think you’re right and he may well be confused. The issue of needing me in his life (but not in a romantic way) is quite hard to deal with. I feel like I’m fulfilling the role of girlfriend without actually being one. However, I know that I can’t count on his feelings changing any time soon. I have to get on with my own life and dealing with the things which I know have made me more negative than usual recently (changing careers and feeling isolated in a small town). I will take some time off from him and see if I can sort myself out first.

Thanks! 🙂