You build the risk of creating a comfort zone where neither of you has to work on yourselfs because the physical connection is still there. Besides what happens when you find someone else? What will that do to your "friendship". What if he finds someone else how will you handle that?
Wanting to stay FWB sounds like codependent bargaining to me.
Personally I think that WAS need to see the full repercussion of their actions before they even begin to realize what they signed up for.
A FWB arrangement may just prolong the time before he snaps out of it.
Just stop and think if you really don't have a romantic relationship, then you are just having sex for fun. If that's the case then why not have this sex with someone who is willing to be a committed partner?
Aren't you worthy of having both sex and a loving relationship?
Sex and physical connection is a love language, he has been craving this for a while, and it took him leaving for you to start providing it.
I think you're better off explaining to him that you now realize that, and that well you would LOVE to make him feel loved in that way. Despite that it hurts to know that you want to provide all this physical affection to him, but he can't even commit to working on the relationship with you.
Let him know you still have a lot of love for him, but it's not fair unless he is willing to love you back.
Whoever decided that men are pigs who only want sex to fulfill base desires did a lot of harm to relationships in general. There is a lot of love involved in sex. More importantly men feel loved by it.
Even from a purely physical sense when you choose to mate with him, there is no greater compliment you can provide him. It means he is worthy of risking a possible pregnancy.
Make him feel wanted by you, at the same time remind him that in order to be a quality mate he needs to man up, and provide the love and support that is his duty.
