There should be no rules about whether it is possible to remain friends after a relationship or not, however, by staying in such close contact, ie texting, phone calls, and meeting with one another a few times per week, neither of you is being given the opportunity to really let go of one another. You say you live in a small town, and that it is impossible not to run into one another – well this you have no control over, unless you decide to move away. If you intend to remain living where you are, could you minimize the phone calls and texts, just to begin with, and not make arrangements to meet up for coffee. Have you tried this? You need space to recalibrate as does he. Like you have rightly said, you don’t want to lead him on or give him false hope. Good luck, I’m sure it will work out for you both, you both need space and time.

Sultana, you and your ex both have my sympathies. My advice is that you have to be “Cruel to be Kind”. Cut him out of your life completely for both of your sakes. Apparently, he lacks the strength to do so.