Do I like him or just the attention?

*A LONG READ. I met this guy a couple of months ago and we've been talking since then. We talk on the phone almost everyday and he's actually cool to talk to. Initially, I started feeling like I'm falling for him, but I didn't tell him cause I wasn't sure if it's mutual. Note that I've always had a crush on him from the day we met cause he's cute and all that. The thing now is I've been blowing hot and cold about him. Idk if I like him or only like the fact that we talk almost all the time. This is my first "talking stage" in about 4 years, and I would actually admit that I enjoy the attention from him. He casually throws sweet words around me, but I laugh over them, not taking any serious cause he's not directly said HE LIKES ME. I just see it that we're both friends for now. Something about him that bothers me is that he sometimes makes me feel like I need to walk on eggshells around him. He sometimes takes offense at little jokes I make, and I've told him how it makes it feel. The last time it happened, he apologized after I had to explain a lot, and also he tried to be defensive before apologizing too. That's a bit worrisome for me and idk if I can deal with it. Above all, I enjoy spending time with him and talking to him. I also randomly think about him. Am I just scared of getting into something new? Advice please.