How can I tell my boyfriend that when we don’t text, I sometimes forget what it feels like to be in a relationship

My boyfriend is 8 years older than me. We are in a relatively new long-distance relationship. He's a bit quirky and very awkward in relationships, but he's kind and caring. He cooks, cleans, and remembers things I've said. He's constantly all over me when we're together. I really like his awkwardness and the time we spend together.

However, he's not very good at communication when we're apart. Before we started dating, he would often initiate conversations with random, nerdy, or quirky topics, but he doesn't really do that anymore. He helps me and does things when I need help, but he rarely takes the initiative to reach out. He says, "We can contact each other anytime by phone or text if you'd like.", but I don't want to contact him if he feels obligated to respond.

I’m independent and maybe a little hard to read myself, so I sometimes wonder if he doesn't know what I want from him.

But in this situation, it's easy for me to forget I'm even in a relationship. I refuse to go out for dinner with other guys because of him, but sometimes I wonder if it's even worth it.