@housaradin,
In general, I assume people are telling the truth. If I wanted to get rid of somebody, I simply do it by getting more and more aloof and not baking up silly excuses like "it's me, not you" etc. Therefore I do NOT suggest you are scaring somebody off. It is perfectly normal to genuinely like someone and congratulation for this experience!
If this is really truth, I would see it would be pointless to push anything, or even counterproductive. Yeah, bad relationships might have devastating effect and so he might need space but realized it several day after your first encounter. So, if this is a case, there is basically nothing you can do but to give him space. Be just friends or loosed up a bit communication. If he likes you, he will return. If not, it will be his loss, not yours: you lost someone who did't care about you but he lost someone who genuinely liked him!