Crash and Burn..

Why is it that drifting from being friends to more seems like a natural progression, but reversing the process is so complicated?
I met this guy, and one month into hanging out (and all that that entailed), I decided I wanted to have the 'where is this heading' conversation. Well, perhaps that conversation was required because it was explained to me in no uncertain terms that he is not looking for a relationship and he would be more than happy to just be friends.
Now, I know how that looks... it looks like I got duped. But regardless of how it seems, I don't really think that's what happened. This guy is not malicious, he's not rude or mean or disrespectful. He just doesn't want a relationship. Now perhaps I can argue that if he knew that all along, he could have made that clear before the relationship went physical, but then again I don't think either of us anticipated that happening so quickly.
While I am disappointed, after all I really did actually quite like this guy, I have to respect his point of view. I can't take offense that he doesn't want something more, that is his right. Well, maybe I can take a little offense..But that's my right...:)
There is a slightly bruised part of me that's a bit hurt, embarrassed and insulted that he managed to so flippantly brush aside the whole idea of looking at something more, with what appeared to be remarkably little regret... but then again I have to assume the man knows his own mind.
I was told that there is no need for me to feel wounded or embarrassed because he does in fact like me, he just doesn't want to date me... Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better because the woman inside me is thinking, 'well, maybe you like me, but you obviously don't like me enough!'
Now I actually am not in love with this man in the least. I'm fond of him, I enjoy his company and I would have enjoyed the opportunity to take things a little further.... But I think what's gotten to me was the unequivocal NO. It's not that I've never been rejected or I think it's impossible for a guy to not want to be with me,... It's just that I think I had this guy pegged all wrong.
I'm used to knowing right at the offset pretty much how it's going to go... You usually know if it's a fling, and the approximate lifespan of a fling.
This guy wanted to take things slow right from the beginning, leading me to believe that he was taking it seriously and wanted to see where things went. Then when we started fooling around, he still wanted to take things slow. At all these points of time, I was misinterpreting the reason he was taking things slow as that he wanted to do it right and not because he wasn't sure if he wanted to take things further!
Perhaps it was destined for doom right at the get-go... Now the real question is, can we start over and this time just be friends...?? I'm not too sure, because for one thing, while my bruised ego makes me want to take a snap at him every once in a while, apparently my brain hasn't told my body yet that it's not working out! Pride and Lust... it doesn't seem to be the best recipe for friendship, does it?!!