I've recently been trying to distance myself a bit from my ex whom I'm friends with, but it proves difficult.

I first tried this a few weeks ago, keeping myself busy etc and I would reply to his messages in a friendly way but shorter and less affectionate. I've been very affectionate towards him until now.

However, at the end of the week, he messaged me asking if I was pissed at him, saying I had been cold. I apologized and explained, but he just said it didn't bother him and he'd just move onto doing other things, lecturing me on how we're not a couple and only couples dwell on those things.

Fair enough, I thought, then it wouldn't be any issue, right?

Well, he commented on it again last weekend, asking if we were okay, saying I had barely spoken a word to him.

We've been talking almost every day but recently it's been him who initiated all the contact, obviously.

I again assured him I've just been busy and he said "Oh ok" and closed off with "Well have fun Peace"

I haven't initiated any conversations at all and as it seemed he caught onto what I was doing, I'm confused as to why he's now being this persistent in talking to me.

He's been asking me about how I am, what I'm doing, how work is going etc, but then moved onto telling me he's there if I wanted to chat and that he's always there for me, calling me hun and he's been doing that again today, calling me 'hun' that is.

Some time ago, he called me babe and hun as well until I confronted him with it, saying it gave off a weird vibe and he just said he meant nothing by it.

It confuses me that he's almost insisting on talking every day and even though my approach is now different, like shorter, less affectionate, it's just.. confusing...

I don't want to just ignore him or stop talking to him altogether and I'm waiting to see where this leads, but it's just weird..

Why is he doing this?