There's something he's not telling you. Take Dear's advice and talk with him. Just prepared for the reality that you two might be moving apart. You think of this as "backwards", but you have no way of predicting the future or knowing how things are supposed to work for the two of you. Talking with him means being open to what he has to say, not just trying to manipulate him into seeing things your way.

My boyfriend did the same thing to me, and we worked through it. We're fine and all now, but what scared him was just the fact that my parents and his parents are both divorced, and he is somehow thinking that marriage and the trapping of it, or coming near it are what can cause others to separate. It sounds eerily like my BF and I that I could have written it myself! Could it be that he is just scared of marriage and he equates "sharing" with marriage? I don't think you're drifting apart, I just think there is a miscommunication -- like you are either taking a fleeting heat of the moment comment as a serious comment, or maybe you are misinterpreting what he is trying to tell you. I'd talk to him about it either way.

Uh-oh...

Good advice, DearSugar.

Are you two young? I ask, because it sounds like the relationship has become more serious than your boyfriend originally thought, and now he's thinking about all the other things he could have been doing. I don't think he wants to break up with you at all, and I'm sure he loves you. I just think he just feels uncomfortable being in a situation that he would have never guessed he'd be in with you.

Resting is done in order to walk a longer journey
Taking a step back is done to spend a lifetime together.

I'm curious, did you move in with him, he with you, or did you get a new place together? When my boyfriend and I moved in together, I initially moved in with him before we got our own place together. The year that we spend in him apartment was really rocky because he kept backtracking in our relationship wanting space. We tried to work through it and ended up moving into a new place together and it made a huge difference because it didn't feel to him like I was "invading his space."

Call his bluff The more you try to convince him you should be together the more desperate you're going to sound and smothered he's going to feel. I don't know who is living with whom, but suggest that you/he move out by next week or that you/he will stay with a friend/family until you/he can find another place to live. As soon as the reality hits of what he might be loosing, he'll either quickly come to his senses, or if he looks relived by your suggestion, you can be sure the love is gone and you really should be moving on.

Your relationship may just be stagnating in which case get creative and spice things up...always try to be interesting and occasionally unpredictable.

True, you may talk with him, but here are the things I think why he's feeling the way he feels:

1) He may think that because he's not ready for the next 'natural' step (engagement-marriage-family-etc) with you
2) If you moved in his space/territory, maybe it's a little bit cramped and crowded and he's stressing out about it
3) He thinks you're smothering him because you're 'in his biz' all the time (or most of the time)
4) He thinks you're too controlling but rather than say that he'd say 'I want my independence'
5) He's lost the passion for you after living with you for a year (boredom--heck, if he's young, he may think he needs to get out and date other chicks)
and so on.

Check your rental agreement, if your lease is about the be up, I kind of agree with jazz Z that maybe you need to consider moving out or have him move out (find a gal pal or someone else to take his place for the rent). If he keeps hanging this over your head, just take his bluff and actually move it 'backward,' if he seemed glad, having fun without you and not miss you or not even attempt to get you back in his life twice as hard, then, sweetie, it may be time to go.

I do think that you should talk to him but don't expect that he's going to open up to you. He would have told you if he was going to tell you. I don't know what he's doing specifically but if it's a this bad it might mean that he doesn't want to be with you but won't tell you. If he were in love with you he'd either want to be with you all the time or give you a real reason why he doesn't want want to.

Well you've been going out for 2 years yes. And living together for 1. But really, he has to know that he's not a shoe-in for the role of "your man". All of the things he's doing now are just more information for you to make a good decision about YOUR life. Stop being so hung up on HIM what you think HE might be thinking. You ain't a psychic. You're not on this earth to read his mind and make him feel better.

If you want to know something, you have to ask. You have to speak to him, get both of your thoughts and fears on the table. let him know that you're scared too, and being a little afraid of things is part of life. If he gets angry pissy or punishing during the course of the talk he ain't ready, and no amount of words and acts are gonna make him ready. Courage woman. Ask for what you want and if you can't get it from him, believe me, you can get it from someone else.

There will be many great loves in your life in the form of men, friends, kids, all that. Think long range. If you BOTH see each other in the big picture it might work. If he's not ready, go have a life and try to accept the fact that he might not be ready with you all up in his face. But there might be another totally hot funny, wonderful, awesome dude that can't get enough of you.