Is he playing me?

I (27F) texted my fwb (31M) during a medical emergency, thanking him for having been there for me when I was in a hard place last year. Before this text, he left me on read for 3 weeks after I gave him a gift and I asked him to let me know how he likes it.

He chased me hard for many months last year before we became intimate. After we became intimate, his communication initiation started to wane. He claimed that it was due to work stress and depression (he is clinically diagnosed and has been for a while), but sometimes I wonder if he’s actually just not into me anymore.

He immediately called to check in on me and offered to see me. I declined because another friend lives very close to the ER whereas he’s far away. He said he’ll take me out to dinner sometime, to which I responded, “Oh don’t worry you don’t need to reciprocate what I just told you.” But then he interrupted to say, “No, I know I don’t need to reciprocate but my life is better with you.”

The next day, he called to check in on me again. He said a lot of sweet things like, “I’m just happy to hear your voice.” And after I asked him what I can do for him he said, “Your energy and our conversations give me joy.”

I don’t know whether I can believe he truly means these words. For one, he’s a smooth talker who’s very popular at his workplace. Second, surely he could’ve texted me at least once over these 3 weeks if he actually meant these words. What do you think?