Yeah, well no one likes to be the Bad Guy. Most of us are pretty wimpy when it comes to "the Breakup Talk," and when we're young we do whatever we can to just avoid it - like turning off phones, not replying to texts, messages etc. Some people it seems get mean in the hopes the other person will bail out. It's kind of cowardly, but it happens. It's hard to be that person who hurts someone, even if it is how we truly feel; and even if we feel like it's over.
Then there's the, "I better keep him/her as a friend," I mean, er, you know, backup.
I know I've done it and I've been on the receiving end. It's awkward and painful. It's much better to just be straight-forward. "This isn't working for me, sorry but I'm out."
Or maybe this guy WILL be back in a week. No way to know.