Being true to one's word is an important part of any relationship; essential for trust. If you have already indicated to him that you value and expect direct communication, and he is not following through, I suggest taking a step back. Although we naturally want to understand what's going on with another person, if they opt not to tell us it's not necessarily helpful to speculate about their motivations. Your idea about being less available sounds wise. Put yourself first. Spend time with some family or friends or doing solitary activities you enjoy. Then see what happens. I think in general if a person pulls back from us, we should let them. Trying to reverse the pull-back often doesn't work and burns our energy. Hope this helps. I wish you peace and good luck Gymgirl.