Why does he keep reaching out if he doesn't want to get back together? (

Hi everyone! Sorry if my English isn't perfect—I'm still learning..

I'm posting here because I'm really confused and I'd like to hear other people's perspectives:

My ex and I were together for almost 3 years. We broke up about two and a half months ago. In some ways, the breakup was a relief because we were both emotionally exhausted.

We made the mistake of keeping in touch every day after the breakup. About a week later, I started trying to get back together because I truly believed we could work through our problems and become better partners for each other. We even hung out twice as friends. After that, I kept asking him to meet up, but he gradually lost interest and always preferred doing other things instead.

Last month, I went to his house (we live very close to each other) to try one last time. He was kind to me, but he made it clear that he didn't want to get back together. I still sent him a few more messages afterward because I was having a hard time letting go, and he repeated that he didn't want to reconcile. So I stopped replying and stopped contacting him completely.

Ten days later, he texted me as if nothing had happened, just talking about random things. I was happy to hear from him, so we talked for a bit. But I realized it was making me anxious, so I told him I thought it would be better if we didn't stay in contact for now because I needed time to heal. I also said that maybe we could be friends in the future. Ten ays later, he texted me again, asking how I was doing and starting another casual conversation.

For those of you who have been through something similar, what do you think this means? Why does he keep reaching out even though he has clearly said he doesn't want to get back together, and even after I told him I think it's better for us not to stay in contact right now?

One detail that might be relevant: a few days after the breakup, I posted a picture at the movies. When I got home, he was waiting outside my house, crying because he thought I had gone with someone else. We ended up hooking up that day, but he kept emphasizing that he still didn't want to get back together. That's one of the things that confuses me the most. He seemed genuinely worried that I might be seeing someone new, but at the same time he was firm about not wanting to reconcile.