Stop Leading My Ex on

Leading an ex on is perhaps something we do because we’re not confident enough about ourselves. We know we don’t want them but we string them along because it’s like having an adoring fan around all the time and hey, even rock stars love that kind of attention. But I’m not ready to say “we’re just friends” and let him move on. He’s a great guy and I want to hang out with him, but I’m not going to lead him on to feed my ego.

I don’t think I’m progressing at all. The reality of it is that I’m not doing or saying anything that I wouldn’t do or say to a friend (okay maybe I do flirt a little or at least sound differently on the phone than how I do with my other friends). Nevertheless, since I know HE likes me I think maybe I need to distance myself since that clearly shows no interest. Thoughts?