What to say back to these messages

I met this guy about one year ago. He was very cute , very much my type , very demure 😂😂. He stays about an 30 minute away, but I met him in my neighborhood. My neighborhood has more than a dozen abandoned houses and he’s basically buying up the neighborhood and fixing them up. & renting them out. He’s on his 4th house

 he will call me whenever he’s around so he can show me his houses and what he has did with them and basically an update. I would congratulate him. Tell him he’s doing an awesome job. He’s doing the work by his self and making the neighborhood look half decent now 😂.

Long story short , when we first met. He told me he has a girlfriend but he still wanna talk to me and he would wanna be something. Yada Yada

So instantly!!! I put him in the friend zone. I would still see him whenever he is in the area but that’s all. He don’t force me to do anything , he don’t make me feel uncomfortable. We would text. But it’s literally “hey , how are you , how you been” type of message, but last night he sent me this message out of no where . Idk what to say