I had my last post pulled after I posted in an angry and emotional state revealing too many details that would have been incredibly outing.
Since the 26th December a friend has started ghosting me out of nowhere. We'd been having a very standard chat and nothing remotely offensive or controversial was said, then he completely blanks any and all messages but reads the ones in group chats were in and is online constantly. So he has either muted (which he only ever does at my request), archived (which he may have done if he'd been out drinking) or is just ignoring me, all of which are really ignorant options tbh. I would have said in the past that we were very close friends (I spent the run up to Christmas with him and his family at his request, he asked that I stay till the 2nd but was fine when I said I could only stay till the 24th).
I've no idea what I've done to upset or offend him, he could just be sick of being my friend or doesn't think the messages 'worthy' of a reply (not a clue because he hasn't even read them). If we didn't run in the same social and spiritual circles I would have called him out on this already and asked him what he's playing at, (or messaged his sister to find out as we're quite good friends) or deleted him. As it is however I can't because I would then have everyone wanting to know what the problem is when as far as I was concerned everything was fine.
His sister did mention in one message that he'd been stressed about being home and going back to work in the new year and that the moment I left he went into a funk and was massively grouchy/grumpy with everyone and that she thinks part of his problem generally is that he fancies me. (I don't think this for a second, I think that we're good friends and get on well together and have great chemistry) and even if I'd ever thought that/liked him in return or if he does like me I have no idea what he hopes to achieve by playing this game as all it is doing is upsetting me and pissing me off with him and tainting our friendship as it is.
AIBU to expect a grown man to be able to communicate without playing these stupid games and give me the respect I deserve. Especially as I only messaged him because he asked me too as I was leaving.
What/How do I deal with the emotions from this, questions about how he's doing from mutual friends and challenge him on his behaviour when the only other form of contact I have is his uni email or a possibly out of date phone number, as both of those options sound stalkerish to me. I could get my best friend or another mutual friend of ours to message him and find out what's going on but I don't want to draw them into this as he's not done anything to them and it is none of their business.
There is an anonymous uni confessions page on facebook that he follows that I could throw a passive aggressive message to him about how shitty this type of thing is without naming him.