I have been friends with a man for nearly 18 months. We are both over 60 and he is a decade older than me. He has never been married but has had one girlfriend that I know of. There was a spark when we met and he asked for my number but I assumed he was funny and flirty and asked for everyone's number and I didn't respond to his flirtiness in the same way. We always got on well when we went out with a group after our shared class. He has encouraged me to do other things related to our hobby that he does too.
Then over this summer he has ramped up the texting and is now texting me multiple times per day every day. They are funny and sweet and always lighthearted. If he goes anywhere he takes photos of where he is, what he is doing and sends them to me. All day. After all this chatting he asked me for a drink and I'm afraid I panicked and avoided it. He later asked me to go on an adventure abroad he was going on. I thought he must be joking and explained by email that after my husband left me suddenly after decades together, I panic if someone is interested in me, but that if he was asking me out I wouldn't necessarily say no. Which is actually huge for me! I was then embarrassed and said forget the email, that I now realised he hadn't gone mad so we wouldn't be awkward next time we met. He didn't reply per se, just sent an irrelevant funny message about one of our in jokes, but I know he had read it.
The texts are very light and sweet, occasionally a bit cheeky but I have no idea if he feels the same way as I do as I am getting very fond of him. I've sent him hugs, when he needs them, he seems to like those but doesnt respond in kind. It is so sweet and I love the attention, and the way he is very careful with kisses etc as I only use them if I'm softening something I am saying and he does the same.
He is lovely but I went for an after class drink with him and he could have made a move then but didn't. But he was also very odd when I turned up at the class we both go to with a male friend who was just starting there, like his nose was out of joint. Anyone got a clue what is going on??? It is driving me mad. I feel 15 again. Is this something men do when they aren't that bothered about taking it further ? I don't want to lose him as a friend and I think he values me as a friend. We have texted so much but we don't call each other and he doesn't treat me any differently in class now after a summer of texting than he did last term, although he has officially changed his class time and is really only staying because I go then and I said I would miss him if he stopped going. I would be surprised if he had enough time to text anyone else that much. Help !!