What to do when someone you dated once keeps texting

Two texts after a single date usually means she liked it more than you did, or she is someone who texts a lot. Ten texts in three days is a different signal. Look at what the messages ask for. If they are chatty updates about her day with no question for you, she may be filling a silence she does not know how to read. If they keep circling back to plans or ask why you haven't answered, she wants a yes or no and is not getting one.

Notice whether she reacts to your replies or to your absence. A pattern of short messages sent only after you go quiet tells you the texts are about the lack of response. That matters, because it means the fix is in how you answer, not in how many messages you can ignore.

Start by acknowledging the messages she sent, in a single line, so your reply doesn't read as if you ignored her. Then say where you stand. If you're not interested, say that in plain words, without a long apology and without a reason she has to argue with. If you're unsure, say you're not sure and that you need a few days, which gives her something real to respond to.

Keep the reply short and leave no open loop. Don't offer to hang out later as a way to soften the answer, and don't promise to text her when you're free. A reply that asks nothing of her and leaves nothing hanging is easier for both of you to end.

Once you've answered clearly, the thread is finished, even if she sends one more message. A single follow up from her after a clear answer is normal, and a one line closing from you is fine if she asks a direct question. Don't send a second explanation, and don't reply to an annoyed or sad message with a longer one.

If you haven't answered yet and she keeps going, send one clear reply the same day or the next morning rather than waiting a week and then sending something that reads like a reaction. If she keeps messaging after you've said no, stop replying and mute the thread. Your job ends at the clear answer.