Guy's Behavior

Guys, Mixed Signals from An Introvert?

There's this boy I like and we've been texting for a week now. In the beginning, he allowed me to text him for hours on end and ramble on about anything I felt like. He also asked a lot of questions as he was trying to get to know me better. I asked him out to lunch last Wednesday and he asked if it would be alone. I was taken aback because I didn't realize I would get that far on my quest. Then, when I pondered it, I said "it's just a lunch, right?" and he said "yes, of course" and that he was jumping to conclusions about my feelings for him. He was acting super embarrassed and awkward about it and that carried on to lunch the next day. So at this lunch, it was me, him and another boy. However, he was super fidgty around the other guy and then totally relaxed and sat beside me when he left. He was also showing off a lot and flirting. When my friend left, he said "you know, if anyone ever tries to hurt you, I'll punch them, right?" and I was just so shocked that I didn't say anything. The next day I told him I liked him because I came to the conclusion that he felt the same way. However, he said, "he'd rather be friends." Now, we talk less. Today, though, I texted him in class, when he was across the room and before he even saw the text--surely he saw the notification, though--he came over and just started talking to his friends right beside me. Also, he blushes beet red whenever I'm around, but never meets my eyes. I should also let you know that last week I caught him staring at me a total of 3x in a 1hr time period and he texts me back almost immediately once I've written. He also dishes out the compliments and apologizes constantly.

In conclusion, I'm not sure what this guy's trying to tell me, but I'd really like to know, so I can act accordingly. I tried to get one of his close friends to write me with an answer about whether or not my crush was into me, but even once seeing the texts, he never responded. My friends tell me to give it time.
Guys, Mixed Signals from An Introvert?
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