Ex texted me after one day NC

A little background info:

I moved in with my ex before he was officially my boyfriend, became “official” after a few weeks, stayed in a relationship for only about two months until he realized it was a mistake for him to ask me to move in so soon and wanted me to move out because he thinks he was happier the way things were before when I didn’t live with him and our romance was just beginning. He says he still loves me and the breakup was very amicable. I told him there were no hard feelings and I’d like to stay connected with him as friends after we both get some space and adjust to life without each other. I moved back to Maine (he’s in CT) just less than 48 hours ago and started NC as soon as I got home, and he’s already been texting me how he was lucky to have me and says he misses me. I have not responded, but I’m wondering if it would be appropriate in this situation to let him know that I appreciate it but remind him that I need space. I would like to potentially move back to be with him in the future because I still love him too and think he might be my soulmate. But if we were to get back together, I think it would need to start off as a long-distance relationship until I know that moving back to CT again is a smart decision for me. Wondering if anyone has advice for me– should I respond to his “I miss you” text at all? Is there a way to get back with an ex after such a short relationship or long distance? Since the relationship was so short, I don’t think I’ll need a whole 30 days of NC to get space, but I know I’m going to need to stay in Maine for more than one month. There were some minor compatibility issues in our relationship, but nothing I found to be breakup-worthy. The biggest issue is that he does not want to have a long distance relationship, but does not want me to live with him anymore either.