I think it's more of a fear of making a connection due to unresolved trauma relating the death of his mother.
He's clumsy at love, that's it. It's pretty clear he feels things for him, just that since he's never been in love he has a hard time labeling them as, well, love.
Or maybe he's just a person with complicated feelings and trauma that needs to be worked out in order for him to be comfortable in a serious relationship.
you got to that conclusion, i got that the author didn't properly portray that
i stand corrected
it feels like a waste to keep reading