I (31/F) have been talking to a guy (29/M) for several weeks. He texts me constantly but never makes plans to meet

I 31/F have been talking to a guy 29/M on Snapchat for several weeks.
We met briefly outside his place once, and the chemistry felt really good. After that, he actually became even more engaged over text. He messages me throughout the day, keeps conversations going, and often reaches out even if I haven’t messaged him first.
What’s confusing me is that his words and actions don’t completely match.
He often sends me snaps whenever he’s in my area because his mom lives nearby. He’ll say things like, “I need to catch you one of these days.” When I’ve told him that I drive through his area on my way to work, he’s even asked, “Why don’t you stop by?” So he definitely talks as if he wants to see me.
Today I asked if he wanted to meet in the evening, and he said he already had plans to watch football with his friends. I completely understand that people have plans, and I don’t expect him to cancel them for me. What stood out to me was that he didn’t follow up with another suggestion or ask if another day would work instead.
He’s also going away with those same friends later this week, so it feels like another missed opportunity to meet before he leaves.
So I’m confused because his behavior over text makes him seem very interested. He consistently reaches out, messages me all the time, sends snaps when he’s nearby, and talks about “catching” me. But when it comes to actually making concrete plans, that effort doesn’t seem to be there.
At this point I’m thinking of taking a step back and letting him be the one to suggest meeting next time.
For people who have experienced something similar, how would you interpret this kind of behavior? What would you look for over the next few weeks to figure out whether someone is genuinely interested but taking things slowly, versus someone who enjoys flirting and texting without intending to move things forward?