confused

so i was texting a guy and we’ve been friends for awhile now and like a couple weeks ago he said that he liked me. so i was really like feeling good about myself right and then i started flirting with him like a lot and he wasn’t into it so i texted him and said “what are we? like are we friends or something more?” and he was like “im not ready for a relationship” or whatever and now im even more confused because why would he tell me that he likes me if he didn’t want a relationship with me? so i kept texting him and i said “i dont want to hurt you if i start talking with other guys.” and he was like totally okay with it, but i have a feeling that he’s not gonna be okay with it 🤷‍♀️ but i dont want to sacrifice myself or my experience or my emotions because he wasn’t ready to have a relationship with me. so im not sure what to do, should i wait until he’s ready or should i get back out there and talk with other guys?

there’s the convo if y’all wanted tea 🤷‍♀️ idk what to do