He wants space, how long is this space going to last?

me and my bf have been dating for 4 months and im in love. he lives 2 hours away. but we are doing fine. they say long distance relationships dont last. but i think ours is going fine. i lost my verginity to him. and tht means alot to me. we were so perfect and my life was so good. but this nicole girl got in the way. he told me they were going to hang out. but just friends. i said w/e but i couldnt trust him. and i told him that. well not to long ago he told me he loved me and all but he wanted his space. i said oka. nothing i can do bout it. him and nicole have hung out twice since then. its soo hard tryn to get threw this by my self. i kno i shouldnt be tlkn to him cuz he needs space. but i dnt kno how to get threw it. no one understands. they say just leave him. and all that. i cant just leave him like that. cuz i kno tht stuff will get better. i just hope soon. i just need to kno how long this space thing is going to last. what can i do to get my mind off him. i erased his number. but i still kno it by heart.. :( help... plz..