he is basically begging you to keep it no romance mode right now. you get to chose if that is good enough or not, it is a difficult choice.
it is crazy. my wife can't handle overt romantic. if I keep things light and simple and JUST be, sometimes romantic happens. sometimes we hold hands or walk arm and arm, or head on shoulder...but when it is forced...it gets rejected, she just can't handle it sometimes. even calling it a date sometimes upsets the prospect of fun from the get go. (definitely no long eye and contact -jeeze talk about off switch)
when it does happen, when she let's those walls down. for the short times it is wonderful!
be gentle with yourself. be understanding with him. be cautious and just try to have fun with it if you do go out.
there is no hurry here! you are doing awesome...really loved how your summer went.
