I know men like him. They're terrified to take on a risk like you, they have no taste for unique and thrilling minds. No doubt a cunning something had entrapped his affections once, when he was younger. Hence why he is embittered, hence why he adopts a prickly persona when, ultimately, he thirsts for the approval of his peers. He is in survival mode.

He'll flirt with you, Starr. At most. But you care too much about consent to push his boundaries.