Pick one answer
A summary of this lesson to come back to. To make it stick, work through the steps above.
List the three most reliable signs of investment. Checking his phone, saying he's busy, leaning back or replying only with emoji mean stop or not invested, taken literally.
"Miss you" and "you're so special" take three seconds to type. What shows investment is action that costs something: asking you out with a real time, remembering the small things you said, making room in his week for you. When words and actions disagree, trust the actions.
If you could only watch three things: does he ask you out, does he offer another time when he's busy, and does he remember what you told him? All three cost something, so they say far more about how serious he is than any compliment.
He keeps checking his phone, says he's been busy, leans back when you lean in, answers with emojis. It's easy to make excuses for him: he's shy, he's testing me. The literal reading is the most accurate: he isn't invested right now. You don't have to figure out why. Just adjust how much you invest.
This week, in one connection, count who asks to meet and who names a time, and judge by actions alone.