Should I [29F] have talked about our feelings first with him [28M]?
So I [28F], met this guy [27M] about a year and a half ago through friends. It was immediately clear that he liked me, and after a few outings between friends, he started asking me out. We had a lot of things in common, so it was always fun.
Both of our previous relationships were very long ago and terrible, and I have a lot of insecurities due to it, so I made it clear from the start that whoever I end up with in the future, I wanted us to start out as friends, instead of immediately dating. I think that it was for this reason that he never addressed our hangouts as dates which was fine by me since it seemed that he felt the same way.
Over time, it was clear that we both had some sort of attraction for each other, however a conversation about feelings and intentions never really surfaced, and now in the last month or two, he's suddenly become distant because I think that after 1+ year he's feeling heartbroken and is trying to get over me.
I am honestly not sure how to feel...because a.) I always kept waiting for him to bring his feelings up first since he was interested first, and b.) I never thought about doing so myself because despite our chemistry, there are a few things about me that I feel might be a deal breaker for him, so I never felt like I should bother....but at the same time I feel bad about him feeling heartbroken, and feel that we should have at least talked about things.
I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel any attraction at all towards him, but I've been single for so long and have gotten so used to being alone that I'm wondering if I actually do visualize myself going into a relationship with him, or if I'm just suddenly upset by the idea of him trying to get over me since he's the first genuinely good guy that has ever liked me, and that I've crushed on in return. This is why I always felt like I should be with a guy that is more direct because I myself can be awkward about bringing things up, and am scared of accidentally hurting anyone's feelings;; I'm not sure what to think, my feelings are a jumbled mess and I don't know if what I need is a conversation for closure, or if I should leave it and we were just meant to be friends. Any thoughts would be appreciated, thank you <3