What does it mean?

Hello everybody,

My ex and I broke up month and half ago after 8 month relationship. He broke up with me few days after I asked him about what is he talking to other girl. He mentioned this girl few months earlier saying that she would text him a lot in the past and always asking out; and that is the reason I asked him that. He wasn’t angry at first but after few days he broke up with me via text. He said that it hurt him so much because he gave himself into this relationship and that I was always his number one… I wasn’t ever angry at him for talking with another girls and my intention was not to hurt him or show him that I don’t believe him just asking what is going on. So after he broke up I begged him to see me and that we can figure this out. But he said that it is over and that he is not feeling like talking to me. We apologised to one another for this and we stopped texting for few days but I sent him a message to ask how is the situation with all this. We talked again about the relationship and he said that if we ever get back together that he will marry me (?). We stopped and then after that he texted me, we talked for a week, not about the relationship but about what are we doing, and after a week he told me that he still thinks that I am good person and he does not hate me but he doesn’t want to get back. He also told me not to hope and that I should date other people and that I will be happy again. I asked him is this forever, and he replayed that he never says never but for now he knows what he wants.
So I thought that is it, but he reached out a week later and after 10 messages he stopped, then I reached out couple days after and we were texting for 2 days. He told me everything that is going on and we talked like before, just without nice words, but we talk about everything, what is bothering us and what is going on with us and it makes me very confused because just when I think it is going okay, I got my hopes up and we are connecting, and then he stops replaying.
Day after I am good, thinking it’s not over here, it happened too many times just to say it is over here, but then today I am again down thinking how to save this, should I let it go and just stop trying to contact him, and I think that this going up and down is not good for me.
I saw a lot of suggestion about no contact rule but I am scared to try it because I see that something is here but I don’t want to force him and I feel he is talking to me bc he really does not want to hurt me or make this harder for me.
Does somebody have some suggestion what to do? Or does someone have opinion on this? Should I try no contact and what to do if he texts me during it?

@Ann1234 He might be confused about breaking up with you. Start no contact, but reply appropriately if he initiates a message. Don’t display jealousy again and don’t beg him to get back together.