friends or more?

sent a message to someone i hadn’t spoken to in over a year. he called me a minute later. we talked for two hours.

the message:

“you can be so stubborn, honestly. i held up my end out of respect for what we were to each other — whatever that was. regardless of how you feel about it, i was genuine the whole time, from the very beginning. i’ll always have time and respect for you, no matter how things ended between us. wishing you nothing but the best.”

the call lasted two hours. i asked if he missed me twice. he said yes both times. he also apologised for the miscommunication that caused our fallout — which, looking back, was pretty minor. we were both just too resistant to talk it out at the time.

some context: we’re both 25, been friends 6 years. he’s an entrepreneur who relocates a lot and is currently living abroad. i’m in a corporate career. he’s avoidant, pragmatic, and very private — i’m one of the few people he actually confides in. we have the same sense of humour and just genuinely gel. he’s always been supportive of my goals whether big or small — gym, career, finances, even when i was thinking about starting a business. he helped me land my graduate job, taught me how to invest. never asked anything of me in return. he’s not in a relationship but he does date. he also gives me advice about guys i’m dating — sometimes unsolicited — and teases me about them.

my question is whether he’s developed actual feelings or if this is guilt/nostalgia. with someone avoidant and pragmatic i genuinely can’t tell. am i reading into this or is something there?