What to do when she says her friends are overprotective

Friends being protective is real. It's also something that gets easier to move past when she actually wants to meet you. What matters is whether she's using it as a holding pattern or a hard stop. If she says this but stays engaged in the conversation and keeps texting you back, she's likely still interested but taking longer to decide. If she says it and then goes quiet, that's different.

The phrase also tells you she talks to her friends about you, which is positive. She's considering you seriously enough to bring you up.

Your reply needs to do two jobs. First, acknowledge what she said without making a big deal out of it. Second, keep the conversation moving forward with her, not around the obstacle. Don't reassure her or try to convince her that meeting is safe. Don't ask about her friends or what they're worried about. Instead, respond in a way that shows you respect her boundary, you're not threatened by her caution, and you still want to know her better.

Send your reply within a few hours of her message, not days later. Keep it short so the conversation can breathe. Then let her lead on the next step toward meeting. If she brings it up again in a few days, that's momentum. If she doesn't mention it in a week or so and keeps texting about other things, she's telling you she's not ready to move it offline soon.

If weeks pass with no movement toward meeting, the conversation is stalling. At that point, it's time to gently suggest a plan once and then step back. If she's not willing to meet after real interest has been shown, you're not holding out for a different outcome.