WWID Listener Question: Cut things off to save the friendship?

Hi India and Barrett! I love your podcast and look forward to it on my drive to work every Tuesday!! I need some advice. I’ve been friends with someone for 6 years, and we just started “talking”/messing around for the past year and a 1/2. He lives in Chicago, and I live in Atlanta. We visit each other once or twice a month and things have been going really good... I’m at the point where I really want more out of this, and he won’t give me a relationship. He’s honest with me and says when we get together he wants me to be his wife, but rn he’s not ready and the distance plays a big factor. He says he doesn’t want to get in a relationship and mess it up and lose me. I think he’s just unsure. I’ve kinda accepted it and have been trying to walk away but he really is my best friend, and I don’t want to be petty and completely stop talking to him just because he doesn’t want a relationship, our friendship foundation is stronger than that. I’m also not trying to give him an ultimatum because if we were to be exclusive, I want it to be genuine and not like I forced it. We are SUPER close, and I don’t want to lose our friendship ever... Butt. It’s extremely hard to just be “friends” with someone you love. I know for a fact he cares about and respects me..but I want to leave him alone (even tho it’s going to kill me) for a while so I can fully accept it and kinda move past it and maybe we can just be strictly friends one day..but every time I try to walk away or distance myself he WON’T leave me alone, and it turns into a never-ending cycle..... this sucks :( What would you do in this situation? Should I cut him off and go cold turkey /let it go? I’m willing to move but don’t want to pick up my life for a guy who won’t be serious. 

My question for Barret: from a guys view, is he playing games with me? Do I need to cut him off completely? Why do y’all do this?