Breadcrumbing is a pattern of low-effort, intermittent contact designed - consciously or not - to maintain someone's attention without any intention of deepening the connection.
"Keeping it casual" in dating is a relational positioning statement that signals a deliberate limit on emotional investment, commitment, or vulnerability - regardless of physical or conversational intimacy.
A text conversation is going well when the other person is investing energy - not just responding. The difference between genuine interest and polite obligation shows up in patterns, not individual messages.
Deep questions work over text when they invite reflection rather than reporting - the goal is to make someone think about themselves in a way they haven't been asked to before.
