What to do when he doesn't text back for days

Read the length of the gap against how the conversation was going before it stopped. Two days after a light back-and-forth is normal for most people. Five or six days after he was suggesting plans is different, and it tells you something about how much he was investing. Look at the last thing he sent too. A question he left unanswered, a plan he proposed without a date, or a joke that was clearly building toward something all hint at where things were heading.

Also check whether he had been the one starting conversations or only replying. If you've been carrying the messages, a long gap may just mean he was waiting for you to make the next move and then life got in the way. If he was the one initiating, the silence is a departure from his usual pattern, and you can reasonably expect him to pick things back up if he's still interested. Neither reading tells you for certain what's going on, but together they help you decide how much weight the quiet deserves.

The most useful reply here gives him something to respond to without asking him to account for the gap. Refer to something specific from the last conversation, add a small piece of your own news, or make a light, easy suggestion that doesn't need a long answer. The goal is to make replying feel easy, so nothing in the message should ask him to justify his silence or explain his week.

Keep the tone matched to how you talked before, not warmer or more formal. If your earlier messages were playful, stay playful. If you'd been swapping short, casual texts, a short casual text is the right size. Avoid any line that signals you were waiting by the phone, and don't mention the number of days. He should feel the conversation picked up where it left off. That's the easiest way to come back for him.

Timing changes how a message is read. Late-night texts after a long silence can look like you were waiting up or lowering your guard, and that colours even a relaxed message. Send during a normal part of the day, ideally when you'd send something to anyone else. If he usually replies in the evenings, aim for a time that gives him room to answer without feeling pressed.

If you send and nothing comes back, leave it alone for a few days before considering anything else. One follow-up is reasonable if the first message was a question that needed a real answer and the second adds something new, like a plan or a link. Otherwise, a second message just repeats the first. If another week passes with no reply, the silence has become the answer. You can let the conversation end without a message announcing that you're done, which often lands worse than simply moving on.