Search Results: helping a friend get over a break up

Met a guy at work who would make me laugh and I found very attractive. We'd flirt all the time but he had an on and off relationship with a girl he'd been with for 4 years. They had a baby and ended the relationship, had a one night stand and had another child.
Before I went away for holiday, he had started visiting where I work after having leave for an op. he was flirting with me heavily and took my number.
When I went away I had a bad experience with a guy which wasn't consented. When I got back I wasn't myself. Sex wasn't very important to me.
We met several times, he lives quite a while away so I would stay over but nothing happened till the 3rd night and it was all on my terms. To begin with it was just sex and I knew that. But it grew and we became more intimate in other ways. He told me he loved me very early which worried me but after giving him a chance to take it back I didn't think about it much.
I realised majority of the relationship was staying indoors eating junk food watching films and listening to him talk about his ex. It was hard because they were still in contact as they'd had children. However I felt like I was a shrink rather than his gf.
8 months later I decided to go on a break so he could get his thoughts together - his ex is on cocaine and is sleeping around with the kids in her place. He had every reason to be worried.
Recently we met up to talk as the break wasn't helping due to is still working together. It was clear he's not over his ex, which was an issue raised early in the relationship. He didn't know much about me. I asked him questions which he couldn't answer. Yet he was saying everything is been feeling for the last few months. It was confusing.
My worry is that I'm a rebound and that even though he sometimes seems like he cares, I mean nothing to him.
I suggested friends with benefits after sleeping with him (after which we had a deep conversation) as I don't want to lose him as a friend but I don't want to be fucked ov

My bf and I dated for a year and he was diagnosed with depression about 3 months into the relationship and went to therapy since then. We broke up over it first because he felt he couldn't be in a relationship, but we got back together and stayed together. Even though the depression fluctuated, sometimes making him distant, we had an amazing relationship. We were each others first everything, were best friends, understood each other more than anyone. We were so in love. He made me so incredibly happy. He broke up with me a few days ago because he's been in a rut for a few weeks & said he had been overthinking things like crazy. He said he was unable to be in a relationship & didn't love me. This was so out of NOWHERE. He even admitted that he couldn't think of a single problem with us, he just wasn't happy with anything. He said he cares about me more than anything & still sees me in his future, he's just so confused. I talked to his friend today (im close with his friends and they loved us together and didn't see this coming) & he said he told him that I'm his best friend, he misses me & there's no one else. But he can't be with anyone. He said he wants me in his life no matter what. But he won't see me right now because he said he knows if he does he'll want to get back together. But he told his friend he wants to try again when he's happy again. his friend said he isn't happier without me, he's just under less stress. He said I should give him space to sort out his depression & that he thinks this whole thing is his delression all hitting him at once and he broke up with me to see if it would help his depression... I broke down over that bc I've done nothing but put my entire self into making him feel loved and supported & helping him in anyway. & he'd always tell me I helped more than anything and made him forget about the shit going on in his brain. I can't even explain how much I love him and he truly is the sweetest person in the world, this isn't him