Pretty much all of your conversations with this guy happen via text and he’s always been super responsive… until now. All of a sudden, he’s started to leave you on read. You know he’s seen your message and that he’s around—he just posted a selfie on Instagram, for God’s sake—but he’s not texting you back. Why is he doing this and what does it mean? Here are a few clues.
- You’re not a priority in his life. Simply put, he’s read your message but is busy doing other stuff so he’s in no hurry to reply to you. Whether it’s because you didn’t say anything interesting or he simply can’t be bothered, he’s got a list of priorities and you’re not really on it. If you were, he would get back to you in a timely manner.
- He’s genuinely busy. A lot of guys use “I’m busy” as an excuse, but there are some people for whom this is actually true. If he works in a stressful field or you know he’s been putting in extra hours looking for a promotion, he’s likely to be busy. Same for if he’s in the midst of trying to find a new apartment to move into or looking after a sick relative. If any of these things are happening, texting won’t be at the top of his list.
- He’s trying to make you sweat a little. Some guys like to play mind games and so they leave you on read to keep you on your toes. This is especially true if you’ve only just started dating and are still in that flirtatious stage where you’re not actually committed to one another yet. He might take forever to respond so that you wonder what he’s up to and who he’s talking to. It’s obnoxious and immature but it happens.
- He’s talking to other women. He might leave you on read if he’s still playing the field and talking to several women at once. If he thinks he might like someone else a bit more than you or is otherwise occupied, you might not hear from him for large periods of time while he entertains her.
- He doesn’t like what you said. If you said something in your last message that he found offensive or obnoxious, he might leave you on read because he’s annoyed or angry. Keep in mind that you might not have even said anything that’s wrong – he could just be getting an attitude because whatever you said is a sore spot for him. He’ll get over himself eventually.
- He’s trying to let you know he’s not interested. He could just come out and tell you, but instead, he’s just going to leave you on read and hope you get the hint. He’s cowardly and needs to man up and be honest, but if he doesn’t, you can walk away all on your own.
