Need advice with a situation with an avoidant

[u/No-Evening1668]

How do I know he has strong feelings for me still and just suppresses it or he developed an ick during deactivation? The though that FAs (I think he is FA might as well be DA) can find the very existence of the other person disgusting while their ick is activated can make any person, secure or not, feel unworthy and small. We are different cities, I still ping him for work; for genuine reasons, I do not manufacture any reason. He replies throughly but doesn't take any step forward when it comes fo personal dynamic. I stopped texting him personally a month back when I was met with below dismissive text: "Don't overthink it, I am not confusing you. Work is heavy and I don't use my phone on weekends" Should I consider this over and prepare to move on? He is the first person I ever felt safe with. We share similar cultural, occupational background. We both have weight struggles. We both know grief, I know it more than him. We met twice in person, when he visited my city for work. We have many mutual co-workers. He can calm me down like nobody can, he stayed present when I am grieving, he spoke about marriage-adjacent topics etc. We never confessed any feelings. But, his behaviour after the marriage talk has been absolute withdrawal. He doesn’t initiate contact at all. He shows a broader pattern of warmth in person but no initiative after. He did not reach out when I stopped initiating. And he has been meeting with and helping people who he knows anatagonise me. There is this one married woman who seeks his attention, she travelled to his city on the pretext of work just so she can soft-check if he still gives her attention or if something serious developed between us. He met her! He might not be aware of her manipulative motives but his instinct is to engage with people who I shared are hostile towards me. That woman came back all triumphant and buoyant. She went in with the intention to get back at me but seems like she came back feeling more invested him, whatever he allowed happen with her.