I need advice. 😞Has anyone gone through this? My boyfriend of a year said we should just be friends…

Me and my (i guess now ex) boyfriend get along great. We are like the same person, have the same hobbies, we think the same and we were very happy in our relationship, always laughing together and loving each other. we’ve been dating for a year now, Just a few days ago we were planning a trip to Japan and went out on an awesome date.

Anyways, last night my boyfriend said we should just be friends when i went to his house after we had a short semi respectful disagreement convo over text earlier that day. This caught me by surprise and i was devastated when he said that. but not entirely. His reasons being, We Dont get to spend too much time together. I have a son with someone else and am always busy. Our schedules dont align, and just this week he got promoted at his job which means more hours working and less time for the relationship. He told me he feels confused and that he doesnt know if this is right or is hes even ready or able to be in a relationship because he cant offer me the attention i need. Hes always been very giving, giving me gifts and tries to take me out when he can but its been hard. Hes always been very loyal and so have i, so its not another girl in the picture. Hes 30 and im 22, he feels were in different places in life as well, that he feels he wants me to enjoy my youth, as he doesnt drink and i do. I have a toddler to care for and rarely rarely even go out, mind you. And im not desperate to either. I just dont understand because i feel that if you truly love someone, you should be willing to stick by their side and overcome this stuff. Im in a temporary bad living situation that i wasnt in when we first met. And there are a few other little things but you get the jist.

So, do i remain friends with him? Hes texting me now joking and sending me cute texts or christmas gifts that would be great for my family. I just dont get how we are such a compatible great match, but he doesnt have the patience to wait until next year for me to get my life more in order when ive always been there for him. He wants to focus on work and start a career, because he worked a job before that didnt pay as well, and i completely understand all of it and agree with him. We both want each other to be happy. We both want to stay friends and continue to have sex exclusively, i just dont know what to do. Hes not using me for sex either, as before we met he had gone 8 months without it. Hes very picky about it and isnt into casual sex. I think we could be great friends. But how can you go from talking about moving in and marriage and future plans to just friends? 😞