Am I reading too much into this behavior?

Snakes have small brains.
They don't bond with their keepers.
All behavior is related to feeding, defense, or temp regulation.

Right?

First time snake owner here.

My young BP (about 18 inches, who I've had for about 3 weeks) comes out from his hide when I get home, and actively stretches out at the front of the cage. When I take him out, he seems very happy to be able to roam around my hands, chest, couch, etc.

If I don't take him out, he crawls back to his hide and 'sulks,' LOL...

Is he really reacting to my presence, and telling me that he enjoys coming out of the cage and interacting with me when I get home?

Or am I reading way too much into it?

sounds good to me... if i move around they come out looking to eat.. haha...

It sounds to me like he likes coming out and roaming. Some balls are like that. Mine is a bit of a hermit; I'm pretty sure he recognizes me because when I come near and put my face near his enclosure he sticks his head out and looks at me, but he's not the type that really likes being taken out too much. All a matter of the individual.

to each their own. They all act differently and that whats makes them awesome species to own.

Like yours, my bp always comes out to say hi whenever I approach her tank. She, too, seems to like to come out. She never tries to crawl away when I take her out - she'll just chill with me on the couch or on my lap and enjoy the attention. If I don't actually take her out, she'll watch me the whole time I'm near her cage. They are very curious creatures.

And, frankly, I think they are much smarter than a lot of people give them credit for...

Well you are thinking into it a bit much, but snakes DO know their caregiver and understand the process. You will notice this a lot with people who keep Hots and usually the snakes never strike at them after a couple months of ownership. Just like we have respect for the animals, they learn to have respect towards us.

Now granted it depends on the snake an it's personality, but as long as you don't smell like rodent, or food your fine. A lot of Ball Pythons are very curious when they are out and about, so many new scents and places to go, they are going to go crazy flicking their town and feeling out the surroundings.