He likes me... but is too shy/afraid to show affection?

Has anybody here ever experienced or heard of someone who was like this? For the past few months I've been crushing on a boy and recently I found out he likes me back. I confessed to him and we went out... or attempted to for about a week until he told me he doesn't think he's ready for a relationship yet. It was at this point I realised for all of the short time we were together, it was me making all the moves, initiating every hug and pretty much doing everything while he passively accepted it. The whole time it never occurred to me he wasn't enjoying it like I was. Now for a bit of backstory on him, last year this guy had a horrible ex who basically pressured him into sex he didn't want and cheated on him among other things. This person was apparently very touchy/feely with him and this was the main reason he gave for his discomfort when I touched or tried to cuddle with him. I'm unsure which, if any, other factors tie into it for now. Though one of my friends who's known him longer thinks bad treatment by his homophobic parents has caused him to lock his feelings inside from an early age; and that a lack of affection from them during his childhood is why he resists receiving and conveying it to me now.

I'm fully willing to give him time and provide him with all the support he needs until he's ready to be with me... but in the mean time I'm wondering is there anything I can do to help him overcome his shyness and embrace the feelings I'm sure he has for me but seems to be afraid of physically acting on? I'm doing my best to figure out what's going through his mind when we're together but the trouble is I'm not sure he understands himself. If there's anybody here who knows what this is like, or has any suggestions on where I should go from here... I'd be so grateful for your input~ thanks ahead of time!~ <3

 

It's possible but he's the one who keeps telling me he likes me. There's a chance he could just be saying that spare my feelings but I've told him multiple times I have no intention of forcing anything between us that isn't there. So if he decided he wasn't as into me as he thought he was after we started going out he's had plenty of opportunities to just say so. =o I've been encouraging him to be honest and act true to his feelings to the best of his ability. I'll bring it up with him next time I get a chance and try to rule out or confirm me being the problem once and for all.

I guess I do seem overly sure of myself here. Well this is pretty much based off confirmations from 4-5 different people that he was crushing on me before we started dating. Even now friends we have in common still tell me things like "he likes you but thinks he can't commit to a relationship" or "he likes you he just doesnt know how to communicate his feelings." One of my friends even showed me a facebook convo about me where he said "He might be the one..."

Things all seem to point towards him struggling with feelings for me while nothing I've heard from him or anybody else so far suggests otherwise. I realise how my wording there makes me seem possessive but I don't think that's the problem. I want this guy to be with whoever genuinely makes him happy and if I'm not that person, even though I'll be a little hurt about it for awhile, that's completely fine with me. All he'd need to do in that case is tell me he's not interested, then I would be able to let him go and we both would move on. It's just everything still points to a chance of being with him again right now. And what I really meant to say in my first post that is if time and someone close to talk about stuff with is all he needs, I'm not gonna give up on him.

I have tried however most often his answers are vague to where assuming is all I can really do. I did talk to him on facebook last night after making this post and again most everything he said expressed a lack of confidence in himself and his ability to contribute to a romantic relationship. He thinks of himself as "awkward" and said things like "You're too sweet to have me mess up your first relationship." To which I responded with lots of compliments and my assurance that I like him just the way he is. I get the feeling that he's never been appreciated by any of the people who should have cared about him most (His family and and former boyfriend) and I so want him to have someone who provides him with that. It breaks my heart to see him by himself with few friends who see him for the beautiful person he is. And again even if I don't exactly do it for him that's fine; so long as he's able to eventually find somebody who does. At this point I'm trying to decide if it's a better idea to keep persuing a relationship, or give him time to work stuff out on his own and come to me if/when he's ready.