Hi Diane,
He may still have issues with trust, being that his ex girlfriend cheated on him.
He has found safety in the status quo.
This is why he is giving you mixed signals.
He likes that he is able to have conversations with you multiple times a day without having to bear the responsibility of putting a label on the relationship.
In essence, he gets the boyfriend treatment to an extent, without having to commit.
He likes the status quo because he most likely doesn’t want to get hurt again nor take risks.
This attitude even persists in how he goes about living his life.
He has complained about living in a small city and yet has done nothing to change that.
He just likes the safety of the status quo.
As long as there are no real stakes, he would rather remain in this mindset for the foreseeable future.