He stopped replying after things got flirty

If he replied normally before you flirted and then went silent the moment things shifted, he's probably frozen, not gone. Ghosting is when someone stops replying across the board. A freeze is specific to a moment. He read your flirt. He didn't know what to do. So he did nothing.

The silence usually lasts 12 to 48 hours before it means something real. After three days with no typing or read receipts, he's choosing not to engage. Before that, assume he's just uncertain and giving himself space to figure out his move.

Your reply needs to do two things at once. Acknowledge that the flirtation happened, so you're not pretending to be someone you're not. And make it easy for him to respond without having to flirt back right now. You're lowering the stakes, not taking back what you said.

The move is a light callback to your flirtation, often with some self-awareness or humor, that shifts back to something he can actually respond to. This tells him you're still interested but also flexible. It's a green light that doesn't require him to be bold right this second.

Don't message him the same day or the next morning. Wait at least 24 hours so he's had actual time to sit with it and come back down to earth. Send during regular hours when he's more likely to be around other people or in conversation mode.

If he doesn't reply to your reset message within three to four days, you're done. Don't follow up again. A man who's interested finds his way back in after one good opening. After a week of nothing, move on. The silence at that point is the answer.