Thank you so much for replying to me - your insight and advice is greatly appreciated. Words help keep me kind.

I am trying to remain strong and patient - and then make a decision after his 20 hour a week job ends in two weeks. If he does not show me that I am priority at that time then I think the only healthy thing for me to do - even if it will break my heart - is to let go and move forward without him in my life.

We do talk daily - sometimes it is only text or e-mail, other times it is phone. He initiates about half the time and I do the same. When I initiate his replies are immediate.

As far as doing the slow fade - I don't know. He seems like the sort of person who is pretty up front and honest about things, but he also seems like the type that never wants to be the bad guy. He has some serious abandonment issues (he was given up at birth and adopted, his adoptive father committed suicide when he was around 7, he was molested and then when he came forward at age 10 the molester committed suicide, he later married a woman with BPD who divorced him and afterwards she committed suicide).

So.... he is not exactly an easy person to figure out. If I felt like he was really wanting out of the relationship I would just end it and move on - but his signals are so confusing. He doesn't have time (which I can understand at the moment), but he does tell me he loves me and wants us to be together. He moves very slowly and cautiously, which I can understand because of his past.

Just hanging on and trying to keep my own sanity - focus on myself and not on him, which is almost impossible.