Ten years of narcissism?

I (30F) met David (30M) when we were only 13 years old. We met at the local swimming pool and, as we lived nearby and had friends in common, we saw each other there from time to time, even though we never hung around together.

I was a young teenager when I talked to David for the first time, I was nerdy and an ugly duckling.

I had an instant crush, I liked him physically and I loved his bizarre personality. He was so unique. He was a teaser and he bantered a lot. He was the class (and swimming pool) clown, he was really weird but still respected, he was never bullied by the populars (jocks/cheerleaders), he was quite rich but came from a difficult family.

We were never friends but we had each other’s phone numbers, we had small talk sometimes and we texted maybe only a few times. He quit being funny and became really cold when he realized I liked him. One day we were alone at the swimming pool, I greeted him and asked how was it going. He answered with sarcasm, and then, in a rather angry tone, he told me: “if you like me so much why don’t you stay closer?!” We were only 16 years old when this happened but after that day I avoided him and never talked to him in person ever again.

At 20 years old we saw each other casually and we didn’t greet, he texted me in the afternoon saying how beautiful I was, then he asked me what about seeing each other one day. I changed a LOT from 16 to 20 years old but I smelled a rat, I thought he was surely fooling me around and I didn’t mind him.

One year passed by and we choose different life paths. I moved to a big city in another state, I went to college and then to law school, he and the swimming pool gang didn’t go to college and ended up splitting up and doing different kinds of jobs.

As for David, he still lives in the rural area and I don’t know what he does to this day. He seems rich, he did many things: PR, nigh-life entertainer, local television, cultural guide, trader. He became quite posh (a real fop actually) BUT he gives off these total wheeler-dealer vibes. He has this smoky aura around himself, he never shares a lot about his intimate life, just cool parties with rich people (90% men).

In the last 10 years David wrote me from time to time commenting on my photos, offering to see each other, to have sex together, to kiss each other, to host him, to go together to a party etc . I’ve always declined, politely, because he was never rude but I never agreed on meeting him or on something else obv, I’ve always believed he was a scam/taunting me.

In the last 5 years I casually discovered we enjoy the same hobby, a really uncommon one. He reached out a lot more after discovering about this and I did the same.

One day my best friend (who comes from a different city) told me he knew David, that he has been flirting with him (!), that David was well known in the city’s gay scene. David doesn’t know that we have a LOT of gay acquaintances in common.

This notion about him made me wonder WHY, why did he write me?

Narcissistic auto-gratification? I gave none to him.

Coverage? We never saw each other.

Taunting me? I am becoming a lawyer this year, not a great idea (and not a great deal actually).

That’s why I decided to accept the 10 years-invitation and finally see him!

AAND he backed out.

We agreed on seeing each other any day of March and David wrote me no more ( neither I reached out because I was very busy and I forgot). When I saw a content he published, I eventually relaunched saying “What about this week? Let me know!”

He answered:”Oh yes, sure!”

And that’s it, I don’t think I will hear from him. Still, I wonder WHY.

Any hints?

Thanks

**TL;DR** Long-time acquaintance I couldn’t understand