If he wants 'friends' give him friendship.
Stop the affection/flirting for a bit and take jellyb's advice above lol. Next time you see him, hold back on those things. Because it's probably fueling his ego knowing you still want him..(& I don't doubt that it's mutual, but you know...)
I don't really advocate playing games like this, 😅but it feels like you need to get the 'power' back..