WARNING: it’s quite a bit of a story, but if you read till the end & give advice, THANK YOU!!

there was this guy i used to talk (talk talk) to about 8yrs ago, & i hadn’t seen him since. but a couple months ago, after not going out for so long, i saw him at a bar & my heart dropped. his friend noticed me, (the guy mentioned to me that it was also his first time going out in so long, & that very day he asked his friend about me) & asked if i was going to say hi, so i did. we chatted for a bit, & he asked if i wanted to go in his car to talk more privately. we started talking about how apparently he remembers asking me to be his girlfriend, & i supposedly said no. i told him that’s not how i remembered it, we were friends first & when we tried being romantic, it just felt like we still treated each other as just friends. i was still willing to try it because i REALLY liked him, so that’s how i know i didn’t say no. either way, we both validated how we each experienced that moment & moved on. after that day, we saw each other 4 times. in one of those hang outs he mentioned how it’s been 4 months since he got out of a relationship (6 months now, & they dated for 4yrs) & how he wasn’t ready for anything serious. i understood, it’s not like i expected things to just jump back to how they were nor did i immediately feel everything i once did for him. we proceeded to text, EVERYDAY, ALL DAY- & this is where i start to get somewhat confused. we have an unimaginable connection, our banter, the way we can talk about absolutely anything. but then out of no where he would just shut down, & said BASICALLY, he can’t be friends with someone he once had something for. so we stopped talking for a bit, but every couple of days he would hit me up to hang out, faked, & ended up just talking to me through facetime. of course by now, i already caught feelings for him again. as much as i didn’t want to, because i knew & could tell he was an emotional mess. my friend suggested, what i think is a dumb idea & it’s to ask to sleep with him to at least open a door to having him be deeper with me. (we’ve slept together once 8yrs ago) it’s something him & i have talked about before but i was always hesitant, because i know how i feel. i finally agreed, & said tomorrow would work. but now im having second thoughts & feel as though i shouldn’t be the one to pursue a man, especially not with my body. i KNOW there’s a genuine connection, & he’s a genuine man but i just don’t want to get hurt. thoughts? please don’t insult my intelligence, i’m just hovered by emotions right now & i already feel dumb.