Do you think he is interested in me like he claims to be?

I know it might be a little too late for this but try to not make a guy your number one priority. It looks like he is talking to several girls at the same time so it looks suspicious to me. Since you have never met this guy in person you won't know everything about him. Communication through the internet has several barriers that allow a person to hide things about themselves. I would suggest continuing to make contact with him but beware that the sweet things he tells you might be a phrase that he has used plenty of times.